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Photographs (far left, far right) of passengers about Continental Flight 61 talking to media by Mike Derer/AP. Center photograph of Flight 61 landing from Westwood One/Metro Networks
Yesterday, the pilot of a Continental Airlines flight from Brussels to Newark died mid-flight, and a cardiologist who tried to revive Captain Craig Lennell believes he died from a heart attack. (An autopsy will determine cause of death.) Dr. Julien Struyven, who was a passenger on the flight, said, "It's a wonderful death. You die on duty. You don't feel anything." Two co-pilots took over the flight and safely landed the plane, which carried 247 passengers.
Lennell's wife told a Houston TV station her 60-year-old husband had no know heart conditions, adding, "He was the kindest, gentlest man I've ever known. He would do anything for anyone. He called me yesterday from Brussels to tell me he was bringing home some chocolate." Lennell's colleagues thought he was sleeping at first, but when they couldn't wake him, they asked passengers if there were any doctors aboard. FAA records also show that Lennell passed an extensive physical in March. The former head of the Continental pilots' union who still flies for the airline, Tom Donaldson, told the Star-Ledger that while there's isn't specific training for the possibility of a crew member's incapacitation, the other pilots (and there were two others for the trans-Atlantic flight) are capable of flying the aircraft, "Clearly you want another set of eyes watching when you're going down a checklist, but you're capable of flying the airplane yourself. You can put the gears down, put the flaps down and carry out your other duties by yourself in an emergency."
Passengers were not told of the captain's passing and were amazed when they found out. One who inquired about the request for doctors said, "We asked the stewardesses and they said, ‘Someone fell ill.'" Gyes Reuter, 21, of the Netherlands, told the Daily News, "It's hard to believe we were flying in the air with the dead body of the pilot, and everything moved forward so flawlessly."
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They thought he was sleeping? As if its fine for him to be sleeping.
It's possible he wasn't at the controls at the time it happened. On transoceanic flights the pilots usually get some rest, since there are limits to how many hours they are allowed to be at the controls. Hence the multiple pilots on board.
Yeah, that's exactly why they have 3, sometimes 4 pilots on long flights, b/c they rotate rest periods. There are actually little bunks in the front of the plane where pilots go to catch a nap...that's actually where they put the pilot's body for the duration of the flight.
This is why, while tragic for the pilot's family obviously, this really wasn't a big deal. The other pilots aren't apprentices, they are fully capable of flying the plane alone, and with two of them there, it is exactly what would have been happening if the pilot hadn't died (i.e. two pilots flying, one not) It's just a matter of seniority (and pay) who gets to be called "captain" and "co-pilot".
Counting the days until a lawsuit is filed.
Brussels to Newark? Talk about a dead pilot flying a planeful of zombies...
"It's a wonderful death. You die on duty. You don't feel anything."?
IMO, What an odd thing to say..
seriously. the most wonderful death is checking out in your sleep, not at work.
I always found the idea of "dying in your sleep" being peaceful to be odd as well. How does anyone know? What if the person was dreaming of something so frightening, such as...oh...being torn apart by zombies, that they have a heart attack and die?
That does not seem peaceful in my book. In fact, dying as a result of my own twisted imagination sounds pretty damn unpeaceful.
well, are they at least sexy dream-zombies? death by sexy is ok with me.
Yeah, checking out in your sleep in a nice warm bed when you're like 100 years old.
Apparently the Doctor thinks that dying while on duty is a great way to go. Hope it's not me on his operating table when he checks out.
This is a non-event. It is unusual, yes, but there are many redundancies on a flight, so this never presented any risk to passengers.
A peaceful dying is not at work and at least living in retirement.
Maybe, maybe not. Some retired people wish they were dead. As a senior pilot he has respect and prestige.
A month after retirement he could be just that stupid thing always in the way to the wife. Or the sex toy she's been dreaming of for decades. Or both.
Dr. Julien Struyven has been variously described as a Belgian cardiologist, a cardiac surgeon and a cardiac radiologist. Although I do not question his credentials to operate a defibrillator and to pronounce an dead person dead, I wonder what, in fact, is his specialty.
Chocolates?
Waffles.