What Happens When A Pilot Is Too Sick to Fly?
Jackie Reddy April 20, 2019
An Auckland-bound United Airlines flight from San Francisco had to make an unscheduled diversion to Hawaii late last week when one of its four pilots suddenly became unwell. The incident occurred on-board United Airlines Flight 917, which touched down in Honolulu halfway through its 13-hour journey.
A New Zealand-bound United Airlines flight from San Francisco was forced to make an unscheduled diversion to Honolulu last week when one of its pilots suddenly became ill, USA Today reports. The incident involved United Airlines Flight 917, which had departed from San Francisco late in the evening of Thursday, April 11th.
The outlet reports that the plane then diverted about halfway through the 13-hour journey to New Zealand. Citing data from FlightAware, the website reports that the plane, a Boeing 777, touched down in Hawaii at 3 a.m. local time.
Kimberly Gibbs, a spokesperson for United, confirmed that the flight had made the unscheduled stop due to a medical issue with one of its four pilots.
Gibbs also confirmed that all 247 passengers on the flight had been given meal vouchers and would complete their journey later on Friday.
The nature of the stricken pilot’s illness has not been made public.
[Image Source: Pixabay]
