Air Canada passengers immediately began praying when the plane banked repeatedly after the pilot suffered an apparent seizure
Panic spread across an Air Canada flight after the plane began swerving in midair when its pilot suffered a medical emergency. Frightened passengers began to pray as the plane was diverted for an emergency landing in Boston, the New York Post reported.The flight was operated by Air Canada’s regional partner PAL Airlines. The plane had left Newark, New Jersey, at 12:39 pm on Wednesday and was heading to Halifax, Canada, with 61 passengers on board when the accident occurred.Passenger Rodney MacDonald said he realized something was wrong when the plane suddenly began to veer off course.“The minute the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong, because it wasn’t turbulence,” MacDonald told ABC News.MacDonald was traveling with his wife and two children. He added that the plane continued to move intermittently.He added: “The ride started to swerve violently. It really felt like someone had let go of the controls, and then it happened over and over again.”“And you know, every thought that comes into your mind, it starts with prayer. My kids started praying right away.”According to MacDonald, the captain suffered a seizure shortly after takeoff.
He added that the flight attendant removed the pilot from the cockpit as the situation escalated inside the plane.The father was initially seated away from his family on board the twin-engined de Havilland Dash 8-400, but later rushed to help crew members restrain the pilot.“Yes, it was really terrifying,” MacDonald said.“I went back to sit with them and realized that the pilot was out of control physically, not violently, and it was clear that he was not in control of his abilities and needed self-control.
[We] We worked on getting him under control, it was a rather grueling 40 minutes keeping him down and using as many harnesses as possible to restrain his legs, arms and chest.Authorities were alerted to the emergency around 1:40 p.m., and the plane landed safely at Boston Logan International Airport shortly before 2 p.m., according to flight tracking data.An audio broadcast obtained by ABC News captured a report stating, “The pilot is incapacitated.
The plane is being flown by the co-pilot.”Air traffic controllers also warned other pilots that Runway 27 would be temporarily unavailable due to an incoming emergency aircraft.Air Canada confirmed in a statement that the captain suffered a medical problem during the flight.The airline said: “During the flight, the captain experienced a medical problem and was removed from the cockpit in accordance with safety protocols.”He added, “The first officer took control of the plane and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely.”Emergency vehicles surrounded the plane after it landed, and the plane was later towed to the gate. After several hours on the ground, the flight departed Boston at 7:30 PM and arrived safely in Halifax shortly before 9:30 PM local time.