PAX Helps Land CO 757?!?

[Benhuntn]

Blackjet and SKC you are both correct....and that's all I am going to say about that.

 

[puddlejumper101]

emergency authority...that's all I have to say. Kudos to the CAL pilot. This whole security thing might be valid...except trying to save the Captain from dying is worth the risk. Plus do you all think in a post 9/11 world that 200 people would let anyone even attempt to hijack an airplane??? NOT. My best post 9/11 weapon is not guns, LEOs, FFDOs, Air Marshalls, or TSA...it's the mob of people that are sitting in the back.

 

[AKAAB]

emergency authority...that's all I have to say. Kudos to the CAL pilot. This whole security thing might be valid...except trying to save the Captain from dying is worth the risk. Plus do you all think in a post 9/11 world that 200 people would let anyone even attempt to hijack an airplane??? NOT. My best post 9/11 weapon is not guns, LEOs, FFDOs, Air Marshalls, or TSA...it's the mob of people that are sitting in the back.

The passengers could be completely unaware anything was going on until too late. I doubt the door was left open and if a civilian "volunteer" gets into the cockpit, he can pick his time to act. This is one of the very scenarios I predicted right after 9/11. Breaking into the cockpit is no longer an option, but if you can get in with a fake ID or somehow get invited to help out in an emergency, you've effectively conned the entire cabin into thinking you're one of the good guys.

There shouldn't be a single pilot on the line that can't manage a safe emergency landing if the other guy is incapacitated.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

And instead of landing the plane solo we should have every advantage of making sure two young healthy pilots are at the controls. Not one with a foot in the grave because some foreign country does it the wrong way.​

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[oldxfr8dog]

I did not arm chair quarterback comment on the Continental flight. I simply stated the possibility of using this in the future as a breach of the flight deck is a very real possibility. A pilot expiring in flight is a security issue. Every attempt must be made to save the pilots life with the on-board equipment. The cockpit door must be opened to do it.​

Security is even more important than safety in a post 911 world. And the security implications of the cockpit door being opened more frequently as a ressult of age 60 being changed to age 65 is a valid issue.​

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No armchair-quarterbacking here either.
Worried about a security breech?
Why not just shoot them in the head if they make an aggressive move?
You DON'T have a GUN?
Why the hell not?

 

[puddlejumper101]

The passengers could be completely unaware anything was going on until too late. I doubt the door was left open and if a civilian "volunteer" gets into the cockpit, he can pick his time to act. This is one of the very scenarios I predicted right after 9/11. Breaking into the cockpit is no longer an option, but if you can get in with a fake ID or somehow get invited to help out in an emergency, you've effectively conned the entire cabin into thinking you're one of the good guys.

There shouldn't be a single pilot on the line that can't manage a safe emergency landing if the other guy is incapacitated.

while I agree with your last statement about landing solo...faced with this or any situation you better believe that I would use ALL avail resources to get the job done. A private pilot might be just that...but believe it or not he can help. Plus...you think those two were the only ones up there?? Dude we are airline pilots and our job is the safety of the crew and passengers. Easy to sit here and say what you did withouth being there. That door had to be opened plenty of times if anyone was going to help the Captain that was dying. I am no doc, and if anyone can help him or me...then they will be there helping.

I know what happened in 9/11 but I think your scenario sounds more like a movie out of Hollywood than anything else. According to your theory then none of us should be riding in the jumpseat. For that matter why trust the other pilot...lets just build kevlar booths with bullet proof windows so we can seperate the cockpit in two...just in case. Like a seven eleven cashier in the middle of the projects. There is safety protocol...and then there is an emergency. If you just happened to get hijacked on the same flight that your Captain just died on then WOW...that's a bad day. How anyone is questioning what this guy did this day is absolutely absurd...he did his job and did it well...he was a true airline pilot not a maverick going solo trying to save the day all by himself. Next thing you know maybe we should also be required to be doctors just in case the other guy passes out and we can save him...land the plane...and come out on CNN wearing a medal of honor with our ray bans and a gun on our belt. I am just a pilot man...not a doctor or a cop...I do what I have to do to get the job done knowing full well what my limitations are.

 

[MLBWINGBORN]

The very same folks that are trying to hang this guy would be the same folks trying to hang him if he landed it solo.If he had so much as a flat tire you guys would try to suggest that it was due to not having someone in whatever seat.

To suggest that his actions during an emergency due to the death of a cockpit crew member were/are questionable is sheer nonsense.
Twist it around any way you want as many of you will surely try.

But...A fully qualified Captain took action based upon the availible resources at the time and used his emergency authority to determine a course of action that resulted in the safe return of the passengers,crew,and aircraft.

To question his actions based solely on the accounts of the media and second hand rumor is more than questionable,its a disservice to all of us that share a cockpit.

The end result speaks for itself.

 

[MCDU]

I think it would be more a distraction having someone next to me that does not belong in the seat and is unfamilar with the airplane. With all the automation, it should be a none event to land it by your self.

Marty

 

[brainhurts]

Um, by standing up, moving over and sitting down again? It probably made taxiing a heck of a lot easier.

As such an experienced pilot, flying your 1900, I feel remorse that I need to point out that from what I read, there was really no reason to do a seat swap in flight--the point being that even with the autopilot on, there was no one at the controls. The FO/IOE Capt ck airman can make his own choices in an emergency situation, but I was curious why, if the Capt upgrade was dead, would you not land, do the seat swap, and taxi to the gate? If the Capt upgrade's life was still in question, why would you take time for a seat swap instead of concentrating on the divert? I have full confidence that these questions are easily answered by what the Ck airman's plan was, that is why I am asking. Emergency decisions are just that...there really is no right answer. Sounds like the ck airman did a great job. I am not second guessing his succesful outcome. I am curious professionally what his thought process was. The day I need sarcasm from a 1900 pilot for a reasonable question on a majors public forum has not arrived yet.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

This scenario is the exact reason why I carry one of THESE in my backpack, right next to my ipod and hair gel.