BOSTON — Passengers jumped into action when a pilot had a mid-flight medical emergency.
The incident occurred on Air Canada Flight AC7664, operated by PAL Airlines, as it flew from Newark, New Jersey, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on June 24, ABC News reported.
The pilot appeared to be having a seizure about 40 minutes into the flight. One passenger said the aircraft swerved suddenly.
“The moment the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong because it was not turbulence,” Rodney McDonald told ABC News. “It really felt like someone had jilted the controls and then it happened over and over again. And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying. My boys instantly started praying.”
He said a flight attendant went into the cockpit before pulling out one of the pilots.
“One of the flight attendants entered the cockpit frantically and a few moments later, he was dragging one of the pilots out of the cockpit onto the aisle way of the airplane,” McDonald said.
He and four other passengers restrained the pilot using seatbelts as the co-pilot flew the diverted flight to Boston Logan Airport, according to WABC.
McDonald told ABC News that a registered nurse on the flight instructed passengers and assisted the pilot during the emergency.
Passengers said the pilot was incoherent but seemed to have recovered from whatever medical issue he was experiencing when the plane landed in Boston, according to WABC.
The flight landed without incident, Boston25News reported.
The pilot was taken to a Boston hospital for treatment.
WABC reported that 61 passengers were on board the flight.
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