Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Pilot Passes Out
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ABC News(PORTLAND, Ore.) — An Alaska Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., Thursday night after the pilot lost consciousness.
The co-pilot on Flight 473 from Los Angeles to Seattle made the landing at Portland International Airport a little after 9 p.m. local time, according to Paul McElroy, a spokesman for Alaska Airlines.
McElroy said the pilot suffered from a medical condition, but declined to name specifics, citing company policy.
The Boeing 737-700 carrying 116 passengers and five crew members landed safely. It is unclear whether the passengers were told of the pilot’s condition.
A doctor on board tended to the pilot after he passed out as the co-pilot took control of the plane, McElroy said.
Portland Fire Department and other emergency workers met the plane at the gate, McElroy said.
The pilot was taken away in an ambulance and brought to a hospital, according to McElroy. The airline has not identified the pilot but said he has been flying with Alaska Airlines for 28 years. The first officer has been flying for Alaska Airlines for 11 years.
A flight crew was flown in and the remaining passengers continued to Seattle on the same plane overnight.
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