Delta First Officer Suffers Medical Emergency 4 Minutes After Takeoff—Second Incident In 6 Days

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-300 returned to Minneapolis just 21 minutes after departure Monday after its first officer reported chest pain, numbness in both arms and legs, and a heart rate in the high 100s. Delta 1208 was headed from Minneapolis to Orlando with 178 passengers and seven crew. It took off at 11:29 a.m. Central, already nearly two hours late. About four minutes later, the captain told air traffic control, “We need to return to the field.” “Potential Pilot Incapacitation” The controller initially did not understand the phrase “pilot incapacitation” and asked the crew to repeat it. Delta 1208: Departure, we need to return to the field. ATC: Who needs to return? Delta 1208: Delta 1208. ATC: Delta 1208, roger. Fly heading 180, maintain 7,000. Cleared to Minneapolis Airport via radar vectors. ATC: When able, advise the nature of the emergency, souls on board and fuel remaining. Delta 1208: 190 souls. Fuel on board, standby for Delta 1208. Delta 1208: We have a potential pilot incapacitation. ATC: Delta 1208, say again—potential what? Delta 1208: Pilot incapacitation. ATC: Do you want to return immediately at this time? Delta 1208: We would like to return immediately, yes sir. Aircraft N586NW, Credit: Eric Salard/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 The captain then called Delta operations and described numbness in the first officer’s arms and legs, along with the racing heart rate. The crew reported 190 souls to air traffic control, while Delta’s public statement lists 178 passengers and seven crew, or 185 people. The 757 Was Too Heavy, But The Medical Emergency Couldn’t Wait Because the 757 had only just taken off, it was still carrying most of the fuel loaded for Orlando. The Boeing 757 does not have a system for dumping that fuel. The captain asked Delta operations whether he should accept vectors and remain airborne to burn fuel, or return immediately. The dispatcher recommended getting the first officer on the ground and performing an overweight landing inspection afterward. Delta operations: I appreciate the offer to burn off the fuel, but for your medical emergency, I would plan on getting him on the ground as soon as possible. Delta 1208: Wilco, we’re heading to the field now. We’ll plan on an overweight landing, and we’re on our way back now. Aircraft N586NW, Credit: Motohide Miwa/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Delta installed a replacement crew and kept passengers on the same aircraft, registration N586NW. It departed again at 1:48 p.m. Central and reached Orlando at 5:51 p.m. Eastern, four hours and ten minutes behind schedule. Delta Had Another Sick Pilot Six Days Earlier This was Delta’s second mainline pilot medical diversion in six days, and both flights happened to be operated by Boeing 757s. On August 25, Delta flight 437 from Los Angeles to Boston diverted to Detroit after its captain became ill. He remained conscious and told the tower that he would taxi the aircraft to the gate and then needed to go to the hospital. There was a third Delta event on May 23. The first officer on Delta Connection flight 5245, operated by Endeavor Air from Madison to Detroit, briefly lost consciousness during the approach. He regained consciousness and was taken to a hospital after landing. These events don’t appear to be connected. But it’s still a seemingly-unusual cluster. Topics on this page