American Airlines First Officer Dies During Final Approach In Albuquerque, New Mexico

An American Airlines first officer died Wednesday after becoming incapacitated during the last phases of landing at Albuquerque, New Mexico, two people familiar with the situation said.

American Airlines Flight 1353, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Albuquerque, was 2 miles from landing when the captain declared an emergency, citing “a medical issue” aboard, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The aircraft landed safely at 3:33 p.m., according to Flightaware, and taxied to the gate, where it was met by paramedics. The people familiar with the incident said CPR was performed for 35 to 40 minutes before the first officer was pronounced dead. …

Incapacitation of a member of the flight crew is extremely rare. A 57-year-old American Airlines captain died in October 2015 after falling ill during a flight between Phoenix and Boston.

This must have been a shock for the captain as well to have his fellow pilot fall ill and decease in the cockpit so it’s fair to say our thoughts go to him as well as the family of the departed.

Conclusion

It’s still good that the cockpit is manned by two competent aviators even though certain budget airlines sometimes argue that in theory one pilot could do the job. Leaving the workload aside, this incident shows the risks of such undertakings and that those plans are plain crazy talk. I don’t know if passengers would feel very comfortable with the cutback either – I certainly don’t.