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-   -   women dies on US Airways flight from HNL-PHX (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-dividend-miles-pre-consolidation-american-airlines/1598815-women-dies-us-airways-flight-hnl-phx.html)

ND76 Jul 31, 2014 7:00 am

I've known of two people in my circle of acquaintances who have died on airplanes from non-crash situations.

One was in his late 40s; he suffered an aneurysm mid-flight and passed away. Also, a 70-something family member of a close friend died on a flight about 20 years ago. She had just gotten on the plane and taken her seat. Before the plane pushed back her seatmate noticed that she wasn't breathing and summoned an FA. She had expired of natural causes.

I also knew a lady who was a passenger on American 77 that crashed into the Pentagon (she was a year behind me in college); also, a business partner of a client of mine died in the Delta 191 disaster in 1985.

This is a lot more common than you think; although I can only remember three times when I was on a flight when the FA got on the horn and asked whether a doctor was on board.

mot29 Jul 31, 2014 7:18 am

In 1999 I was on a flight from LED(at the time)-MAN, an Aeroflot tour charter. Man in the seat behind me had what was probably a heart attack just as the doors were being closed for departure.
The doors were reopened and medics came on, provided some aid and then took the passenger off, still alive. He and his wife were pretty adamant about not wanting to be taken off and taken for Russian medical care, but to continue back to Manchester.
And the Aeroflot captain wasn't going to take off with someone that sick.

kenish Jul 31, 2014 10:06 am

My legal and medical knowledge is limited, but I believe only a MD can declare a person dead. Also, the location and time of the official declaration occasionally has a big effect on settling the person's estate. Hence the declaration is best made at the arrival gate where the local ME has jurisdiction.

I am more savvy on the aviation side of things and there is nothing in the FAR's that requires impounding the aircraft, unless an inflight death requires preservation of evidence for an accident or crime investigation (e.g. unbelted passenger in turbulence, passenger killed in onboard fight, etc)

RIP to the passenger and their family.

GalleyWench Jul 31, 2014 12:49 pm

women dies on US Airways flight from HNL-PHX
 
Airport paramedics are very well trained and aware of our circumstances and they will whisk a person off the airplane very quickly in case they have passed away so as not to declare them on the airplane.

seratonin7 Jul 31, 2014 9:57 pm

How would there be no seat available? What about the seat the passenger was sitting in?


Originally Posted by MtlChris (Post 23286915)
Not a rumor : SQ did have a "cabinet" for storing corpses on their ultra long haul A345, although they specify it's only if no seat is available. You can read about here Airline's new fleet includes a cupboard for corpses


inpd Jul 31, 2014 10:00 pm


Originally Posted by seratonin7 (Post 23291529)
How would there be no seat available? What about the seat the passenger was sitting in?

Just think how much compensation you would request if you had to spend unto 15 hours sitting next to a corpse ...

They are trying to make it less traumatic for the remaining passengers by moving the deceased from the other customers.

MtlChris Jul 31, 2014 10:02 pm


Originally Posted by seratonin7 (Post 23291529)
How would there be no seat available? What about the seat the passenger was sitting in?

The article states their SOP is to have a free row of seats to lay the deceased.

kilo Jul 31, 2014 10:29 pm


Originally Posted by GalleyWench (Post 23289105)
Airport paramedics are very well trained and aware of our circumstances and they will whisk a person off the airplane very quickly in case they have passed away so as not to declare them on the airplane.

Let's hope that's a perception rather than a reality.

A dead passenger is dead, but if he has 'passed out' or is dying the concern should be the passenger not the airline. If the passenger needs immediate attention that should be given there and then. If they need to get to a hospital asap then it should be for their sake not for the airline's.

FWAAA Jul 31, 2014 11:03 pm

Approximately 6,850 people die in this country every day, on average. Deaths on airplanes are not uncommon. Years ago, my seat opponent died on the way to London - once the on-board physician declared him dead, he had to be moved, since he was in the exit row window seat, and dead bodies are not exit-row qualified.

GalleyWench Aug 1, 2014 9:42 am


Originally Posted by kilo (Post 23291638)

Originally Posted by GalleyWench (Post 23289105)
Airport paramedics are very well trained and aware of our circumstances and they will whisk a person off the airplane very quickly in case they have passed away so as not to declare them on the airplane.

Let's hope that's a perception rather than a reality.

A dead passenger is dead, but if he has 'passed out' or is dying the concern should be the passenger not the airline. If the passenger needs immediate attention that should be given there and then. If they need to get to a hospital asap then it should be for their sake not for the airline's.

I'm sorry if my post wasnt clear. Of course the passenger will be given care and first aid until the plane lands and ground people (paramedics) can take over. I've had 2 passengers die inflight and we performed CPR until we landed. Both times it was obvious they wouldn't survive, but paramedics did remove them promptly and continue resuscitation efforts in the jetway before pronouncing them. We always make every effort possible to save someone and will use every resource we have, my point was that airport paramedics know to remove them before they actually pronounce them. Sorry for the confusion.

ThinWallet Aug 2, 2014 11:51 am


Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu (Post 23286458)
I rendered aid on a transpacific flight from ICN-LAX. A lady was having chest pain and had taken too much nitroglycerin and bottomed out her blood pressure and passed out. Unfortunately, it took a while for me to figure out what was going on because she only spoke Chinese... I was given the option of diverting the plane to either Anchorage (4 hours) or Tokyo (3.5 hours).. fortunately after am IV and a little fluid she perked up and was adamant about continuing on to her final destination.. I told them to have an ambulance met her at the gate; checking on her periodically but she refused to go to the hospital.. I later learned she got chest pain from time to time but had never seen the doctor... getting Nitroglycerin from the pharmacy in China.. todays was worse so she had taken 3 of them... oh well.. she's an adult and in charge of her own decisions but I'm glad she didn't die on my watch...

FDw

I just want to say thank you for coming forward to offer your assistance to a person in distress.


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