After the captain of the Southwest Airlines flight became incapacitated and needed medical attention, a pilot from another airline assisted in landing the flight. The flight was forced to return to Las Vegas by the airline and radio traffic data.
Southwest Flight 6013 was headed for Columbus when one of its pilots needed medical attention. A spokesperson for the airline stated that the plane was heading for Columbus on Wednesday. They didn’t say for what reason the pilot needed medical attention.
The website LiveATC archives radio traffic and someone can be heard saying that the captain felt stomach pains, then became “fainted” or incapacitated around five minutes later.
According to them, the captain “came back” about 60 seconds later. He was being cared for in the back of aircraft. They say they need to immediately transport him to an ambulance.
According to the spokesperson for Southwest, a pilot credentialed from another airline was aboard the plane and assisted in radio communication while a Southwest pilot flew it.
They said, “We greatly appreciate your support and assistance.”
According to the spokesperson, the pilot was able safely land and another crew operated the flight to Columbus.
The spokesperson stated that they were grateful for the professionalism of the crew and appreciated the patience and understanding of our customers regarding the situation.
Thursday morning was unclear as to the condition of the pilot who needed medical attention.
Josh Cradduck contributed.
