Woman steps in as co-pilot suffers breakdown in mid-air on route to Heathrow airport

This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

A flight attendant helped steer a Heathrow-bound passenger flight to safety after the co-pilot suffered a breakdown in mid-air, investigators have revealed.

The flight attendant was temporarily promoted to the cockpit after the captain of the Air Canada service ordered his colleague to be handcuffed and dragged from his seat.

The flight attendant, a qualified commercial pilot, came forward after the captain asked the 155 passengers and crew if there were any professional pilots onboard.

The unnamed attendant sat in the co-pilot's seat of the Boeing 767-333 jet as the Toronto to Heathrow service was diverted to Ireland's Shannon airport on January 28.

The report by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said: "The commander requested that the flight attendant occupy the right-hand (first officer's) seat for the remainder of the flight to assist as necessary.

"The flight attendant provided useful assistance to the commander, who remarked in a statement to the investigation that she was 'not out of place' while occupying the right-hand seat."

The AAIU said the flight captain noted that his first officer was "quite harried" when he entered the cockpit before take-off.

Once the plane was in the air, the senior pilot became "increasingly concerned" with his colleague's behaviour, prompting him to order the co-pilot to rest ahead of arriving at Heathrow, where difficult weather conditions were expected to make it a difficult landing.

The break did not improve the first officer's behaviour and it soon deteriorated. "The first officer began conversation which was rambling and disjointed in nature and not at all in character," said the report.

It added that the pilot then became belligerent and uncooperative, "which convinced the commander he was now dealing with a crew member who was effectively incapacitated."

The report indicated that a struggle took place as the pilot was taken from the cockpit by cabin crew, with one crew member sustaining a wrist injury.

According to one passenger, whose testimony did not appear in the AAIU document yesterday, the pilot was yelling and "invoking God" as he was dragged from the cockpit.

The unnamed pilot was taken to a psychiatric unit and was flown home 11 days later. The Air Canada flight resumed its journey after the diversion and arrived eight hours late.