Passengers stepped in to help a pilot who suffered a mid-flight medical emergency during a trip from New Jersey to Nova Scotia, Canada. The terrifying incident occurred on Wednesday, June 24, and began with the aircraft swerving mid-flight.
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"The moment the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong because it was not turbulence," Rodney McDonald, one of the passengers on board, told ABC News. "It really felt like someone had jilted the controls and then it happened over and over again. And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying. My boys instantly started praying."
McDonald continued by explaining how a flight attendant darted for the cockpit, before taking action to help them.
"One of the flight attendants entered the cockpit frantically and a few moments later, he was dragging one of the pilots out of the cockpit onto the aisle way of the airplane," he said.
According to McDonald, the pilot appeared to be having some form of seizure, noting he wasn't "in control of his faculties." He then detailed how passengers on the plane also came to the pilot's aid.
"Yeah, it was really horrifying. I was sitting in the front row, my family was from their back, just the way the seat arrangement worked out," he explained. "And I went back to sit with them and then realized that the pilot was out of control physically, not violently, like it was clear that he was not in control of his faculties and needed to be restrained."
"[We] worked to get him under control, it was a fairly strenuous 40 minutes of keeping him down and using as many seatbelts as we could to restrain his legs arms and chest."
Air Candada Has Issued a Statement on the In-Flight Emergency
Once news of the in-flight emergency broke, Air Canada released a statement regarding the incident.
"During the flight, the captain experienced a medical issue and was removed from the flight deck as per safety protocols. The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely," the statement said, via WCVB.
There has been no further information regarding the pilot's status. Hopefully, they've made a full recovery.
