Originally Posted by
cova
Yes very sad. Same thing happened on a CO flight from Mexico to IAH some years back. These days it is possible to survive a massive heart attack - but you need to be within 10 minutes of a major medical facility and in the hospital within 20 minutes. Obviously that can't happen when you are 40,000 feet in the air.
This is why a crew member always goes in the cockpit when one of the flight crew members leaves to use the restroom. Can't leave just one person in the cockpit inside the locked door.
Sounds good, but that is factually incorrect.
The reason a second person goes into the cockpit is because it is ergonomically impossible to sit at the controls, verify who's actually there trying to enter the flight deck and open the reinforced flight deck door at the same time. With a single pilot there, he/she would have to get out of their position to do all this....no one would be in the seat to fly the jet!