Off-Duty Pilot Steps In to Help Crew of Southwest Airlines Flight After Pilot Suffers Medical Emergency Mid-Flight

An off-duty pilot stepped in to help the crew of a Southwest Airlines flight on Wednesday after one of the on-duty pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight.

Flight 6013 was bound for Columbus, Ohio, when one of its pilots “needed medical attention,” according to a spokesperson for the airline. A credentialed pilot from another airline, who was on board, entered the Flight Deck and assisted with radio communication while the Southwest pilot flew the aircraft.

The incident began not long after the plane took off from Las Vegas, the airline said. In radio traffic archived by the website LiveATC, a person can be heard saying that the captain had started to feel stomach pain and then “fainted or became incapacitated” around five minutes later.

A nurse who was also on board helped care for the pilot, the airline said, without releasing further details on the pilot’s condition. The plane was eventually forced to turn back to Las Vegas, where the pilot was taken for medical attention.

The incident highlights the importance of having qualified personnel on board flights in case of emergencies. Southwest Airlines has not yet released any further information on the pilot’s condition or the cause of the medical emergency.