Home » There are tense moments in the air on an Air Canada flight as the pilot becomes “incapacitated”.

There are tense moments in the air on an Air Canada flight as the pilot becomes “incapacitated”.

by Ainsley Ingram

Published June 22, 2023, 6:25 p.m. ET

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A pilot on an Air Canada flight from Toronto earlier this month became “incapacitated” mid-flight, Canada’s transportation regulator confirmed to CTV News Toronto.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said it happened on Flight AC692, which took off June 7 from Toronto Pearson International Airport to St. John’s International Airport.

In an email, the TSB said the first officer “became incapacitated” during the flight.

The TSB further stated that a dead captain – that is, a pilot who was a passenger on the flight – took over the crew member’s duties and landed the aircraft “without further incident”.

After the flight landed in St. John’s, NL, emergency response teams were on standby at the gate, the TSB said.

It is unclear how the first officer, also known as co-pilot, became incapacitated.

The TSB said the incident has been classified as a Class 5 event, meaning it does not require a full investigation and, according to its website, “there is a low likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will improve transport safety.”

“However, Class 5 event data will be recorded to the extent appropriate for possible future security analysis, statistical reporting or archival purposes,” a federal agency spokesperson said in an email.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to Air Canada for comment but has not received a response.

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