Air Canada has placed one of their pilots on medical leave after a mid-flight incident last Thursday.
Thing were going smoothly on the Calgary to Newark flight until the plane flew over Toronto. Passengers "suddenly felt the plane jolt and watched the drink cart release from the flight attendant’s hands," reports the Calgary Sun. Minutes later flight attendants declared a medical emergency and began asking if any doctors were on board.
Those with medical training moved towards the front of the plane, said Dave Brown, a passenger on board the flight.
“The cockpit door opens and there is the pilot and he starts screaming and holding onto the airline attendant saying ‘Help me, help me,’” Brown told the Calgary Sun.
“He was screaming, ‘Get me off the plane’ — you don’t want to hear that. He looked like he was insane, grey, dead eyes,” Brown added. He commended the cabin crew for their quick work and keeping passengers calm.
Eventually the pilot was restrained in a first-class seat while the plane diverted to Toronto, notes MSN.ca. There, the pilot was met with paramedic while a replacement crew boarded the plane. The flight continued to Newark uninterrupted.
Officials with Air Canada say the incident was related to an undiagnosed ailment, and aren't revealing much more for privacy reasons according to 680 News. This isn't the first incident of airline staff breaking down while on the job. In 2008, an Air Canada flight from Toronto To London diverted after the plane's co-pilot broke down, screaming for God, according to Canada.com
He was very, very distraught. He was yelling loudly. His voice was clear. He didn't sound like he was drunk or anything, but he was swearing and asking for God," said Sean Finucane, a passenger on board the flight.
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