A Dutch plane carrying 41 people had to declare an emergency just three minutes after taking off from Dublin Airport two years ago when the 35-year-old pilot flying the aircraft collapsed in his seat. The Air Accident Investigation Unit has released a new report revealing that the KLM flight, en route from Dublin to Amsterdam, also experienced a bird strike as it made an emergency landing back at the airport shortly afterwards. The incident, which took place on October 19, 2022, was classified as “a serious incident” by the AAIU.
The emergency involved an Embraer E175-200 STD aircraft with 37 passengers and four crew members on board. According to the AAIU report, the first officer told the commander he wasn’t feeling well shortly after take-off at 8.22am, before collapsing in his seat and quickly becoming incapacitated. The incident occurred just three minutes into the flight when the aircraft had reached an altitude of 10,000 feet. The AAIU confirmed that the autopilot was engaged at the time of the incident.
The pilot in command took over all flying duties and issued a Mayday alert to air traffic controllers, requesting clearance to return to Dublin Airport and notifying them that medical assistance would be needed. Despite deteriorating weather conditions, a normal landing was executed at 8.40am. The unwell pilot was medically assessed and found to have low blood pressure, likely due to a combination of insufficient food and water intake and an increasing cabin altitude post-departure.
KLM informed Irish investigators that its initial and recurrent simulator training included procedures for when a pilot became incapacitated. The AAIU noted that the incident occurred with minimal warning shortly after take-off, a phase of flight that typically involved a high workload for flight crews. Passengers were informed via the aircraft’s public address system that they would be returning to Dublin and would receive further information from the commander upon landing.
The AAIU report stated that the aircraft encountered a flock of birds at approximately 100 feet during its approach, resulting in a bird strike to the left side of its nose section. Although the bird strike did not cause any issues, it had the potential to significantly increase the workload of the remaining pilot. The commander decided the unwell co-pilot was unfit to be part of an active cockpit crew. Cabin crew assisted in securing the co-pilot to his seat and placed an oxygen mask on him.
In summary, the incident on the KLM flight highlighted the critical role of the pilot in command in responding to emergencies and ensuring the safety of passengers and crew. The swift actions taken during the situation, including the successful emergency landing and coordination with air traffic controllers, reflect the professionalism and preparedness of the flight crew in managing unexpected challenges at altitude.