A Southwest Airlines pilot became incapacitated while flying. A pilot from another airline was on board — and jumped in to help.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
- A Southwest Airlines captain needed medical attention while flying a plane Wednesday.
- A pilot from another airline was on board the flight and stepped in to help, NBC reported.
- The plane, which was flying from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio, landed safely in Las Vegas.
When the captain flying a Southwest Airlines flight suddenly required medical attention this week, a pilot from another airline who happened to be on board stepped in to help land the plane, NBC reported.
The captain felt stomach pains and became "incapacitated" while Southwest Flight 6013 was en route from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio, NBC reported, citing flight radio traffic. A Southwest spokesperson confirmed to insider that one of its pilots needed medical attention.
Another pilot — who worked for an entirely different airline — happened to be a passenger on the plane. That person jumped into the cockpit to assist a second Southwest pilot who wasn't ill.
The pilot helped with radio communication, the Southwest spokesperson said. "We greatly appreciate their support and assistance," the spokesperson wrote. It wasn't clear what airline the other pilot worked for, and his or her identity wasn't disclosed.
The plane landed safely in Las Vegas, and switched out crews before flying to Columbus, the spokesperson told Insider.
"We commend the crew for their professionalism and appreciate our customers' patience and understanding regarding the situation," the spokesperson wrote.
As of Thursday morning, there were no updates on the captain's condition "for their medical privacy," the Southwest spokesperson told Insider.