Passengers restrain pilot for 40 minutes after seizure

Passengers restrain – On an Air Canada regional flight from Newark to Halifax, passengers say the captain appeared to be having a seizure for about 40 minutes after the aircraft suddenly swerved midflight. The first officer took control and diverted the plane to Boston, where it la

The moment the plane lurched, Rodney McDonald said it didn’t feel like ordinary turbulence.

He was traveling with his wife and two sons aboard an Air Canada flight on Wednesday when. according to McDonald. the aircraft unexpectedly swerved and kept doing so “over and over again.” In a telling detail. he said it didn’t resemble the way the cabin typically reacts when weather is rough. “The moment the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong because it was not turbulence,” he said. “It really felt like someone had jilted the controls and then it happened over and over again. And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying. My boys instantly started praying.”.

Air Canada said Flight AC7664, operated by regional partner PAL Airlines, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, when the captain experienced the medical emergency.

McDonald said a flight attendant rushed toward the cockpit and then pulled one of the pilots into the aisle. “One of the flight attendants entered the cockpit frantically and a few moments later, he was dragging one of the pilots out of the cockpit onto the aisle way of the airplane,” he said.

From there, passengers say the crisis became intensely physical.

McDonald said the captain appeared to be experiencing a seizure. and he and about four other passengers helped restrain him while the co-pilot flew the aircraft to Boston. He described it as a tense, prolonged struggle—about 40 minutes. “Yeah, it was really horrifying,” he said. “I was sitting in the front row. my family was from their back. just the way the seat arrangement worked out. And I went back to sit with them and then realized that the pilot was out of control physically. not violently. like it was clear that he was not in control of his faculties and needed to be restrained.”.

He continued: “[We] worked to get him under control, it was a fairly strenuous 40 minutes of keeping him down and using as many seatbelts as we could to restrain his legs arms and chest.”

The airline said the flight was diverted to Boston after the seizure. Air Canada also said the first officer took control of the aircraft, and the plane landed safely. The captain was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

On board, McDonald said a registered nurse helped direct passengers and assist the pilot during the emergency. He praised the crew for keeping their composure throughout. “The flight attendants were stupendous. They stayed calm,” he said.

When the aircraft landed, emergency responders met it in Boston.

Air Canada said it is working to arrange alternate travel for the 61 passengers on board.

There is guidance that complicates what happened next. The CDC notes that people potentially experiencing a seizure should never be held down due to the risk of further injury. Instead. it says the area should be cleared of sharp or dangerous objects. the person should be turned gently on their side. and their airway should be kept clear.

McDonald acknowledged the severity of what he and others faced. For him, the priority was simple: making sure the situation didn’t worsen while the co-pilot brought the aircraft to safety.

Afterward, he said he felt only relief. “We’re just grateful, grateful for how it all ended,” he added. “We’re just grateful, grateful for how it all ended,” he reiterated, describing the moment as a fight for everyone’s survival rather than a story anyone expected to live through.

Air Canada PAL Airlines Flight AC7664 Newark to Halifax medical emergency seizure pilot restrained Boston diversion passengers