E75L, vicinity Dublin Ireland, 2022
E75L, vicinity Dublin Ireland, 2022
Summary
On 19 October 2022, an Embraer E175-200 had just departed Dublin when the First Officer, who was acting as ‘Pilot Flying’, became incapacitated. The Captain immediately took over all flying duties, requested assistance for the First Officer from the cabin crew and declared a MAYDAY. The aircraft then returned to land without further significant event although a bird strike occurred on approach. The 35 year-old First Officer was medically assessed and the conclusion was that he had “low blood pressure (and) a possible lack of water and food” which would have been exacerbated by the rising cabin altitude after departure.
Flight Details
Aircraft
Operator
Type of Flight
Public Transport (Passenger)
Flight Origin
Intended Destination
Actual Destination
Take-off Commenced
Yes
Flight Airborne
Yes
Flight Completed
Yes
Phase of Flight
Climb
Location - Airport
Airport
General
Tag(s)
Air Turnback
HF
Tag(s)
Flight Crew Incapacitation
LOC
Tag(s)
Flight Crew Incapacitation
EPR
Tag(s)
MAYDAY declaration
Outcome
Damage or injury
No
Non-aircraft damage
No
Non-occupant Casualties
No
Off Airport Landing
No
Ditching
No
Safety Recommendation(s)
Group(s)
None Made
Investigation Type
Type
Independent
Description
On 19 October 2022, an Embraer E175-200 (PH-EXI) being operated by KLM City Hopper on a scheduled international passenger flight from Dublin to Amsterdam was passing FL 100 when the First Officer indicated to the Captain that he was unwell and then collapsed in his seat. The Captain took over and, after calling for assistance from the cabin crew to secure the First Officer in his seat, remove him from proximity to the flight controls and provide him with emergency oxygen, then declared a MAYDAY and made an uneventful return to Dublin apart from an encounter with a flock of small birds just before touchdown, striking one of them.
Investigation
An Investigation was carried out by the Irish AAIU and a Factual Report was compiled on completion.
The 32 year-old Captain had a total of 6,330 hours flying experience which included 3,200 hours on type. The 35 year-old First Officer had total of 6,169 hours flying experience which included 3,430 hours on type.
What Happened
The flight was the return leg of an Amsterdam-Dublin flight for which the pilots had a report time of 0435Z at what was their home base. For the Captain, it was the first duty day after three days off and for the First Officer, it was the first flight after his annual licence medical examination the previous day. This flight was described as “uneventful”.
The flight back to Amsterdam was to be flown with the First Officer as PF. He briefed that he intended to engage the AP “without delay after take-off due to low cloud and the possible need for weather avoidance manoeuvring” (the weather report issued a few minutes after the subsequent takeoff gave BKN (broken) cloud at 100 feet aal and 3,000 metres surface visibility). Taxi out and takeoff from runway 10R were normal and once airborne, the after takeoff checklist was completed. Then, passing FL100 in the climb three minutes after takeoff at 0822 Z with the AP engaged, the First Officer said to the Captain that “he was not feeling very well, before rapidly becoming incapacitated”.
The Captain stated that he had initially “tried to revive him by speaking loudly to him and shaking him by the shoulder” but when this had no effect, he requested assistance from the cabin crew to secure him clear of the controls and declared a MAYDAY so as to expedite return to Dublin with medical assistance required on arrival. After this had been done, the First Officer appeared to regain consciousness, but the Captain decided that although he appeared stable, he was not in a fit state to perform any operational duties. The cabin crew helped the First Officer don his crew emergency oxygen mask with the oxygen flow was selected to 100% and the ‘emergency’ setting. ATC prioritised the return and the aircraft was able to make a CAT1 ILS approach to land back on runway 10R after 18 minutes airborne - although not before unavoidably flying through a flock of small birds, one of which struck the left side of the aircraft nose.
The crew of a waiting ambulance examined the First Officer and provisionally attributed his incapacitation to low blood pressure and possibly lack of water and food. No further information on the First Officer or any resulting systemic action by KLM Cityhopper was recorded.
The Operator’s OM was found to include general guidance on how to respond to pilot incapacitation such as the flight crew getting assistance from cabin crew to secure an incapacitated pilot clear of the controls, administration of oxygen if appropriate and removal of an incapacitated pilot from the flight deck. However, these remarks were qualified by the statement that they “should be regarded as general guidance and adapted as circumstances dictate” and did not cover whether a member of cabin crew should remain on the flight deck or return to their station before landing.
The Final Report was published on 16 September 2024. It took the form of a factual account with no conclusions and no Safety Recommendations made.
