THY passengers at Ercan see their captain faint ... twice

[iancrumpy]

Source : http://www.gundemkibris.com/ercanda-pan ... 64068h.htm

According to the above report, a pilot was seen fainting in the cafeteria area of the boarding lounge at around 6pm yesterday evening. Later, after passengers had boarded for the 19.30 TK 967 to İstanbul, the captain, Fırat Göker, made the announcement that "Due to technical problems, the flight would be delayed 30 minutes".

Following this announcement, apparently, one of the passengers started saying "we don't want to fly if the captain is the pilot who fainted". Then, apparently, Göker left the cockpit to tell passengers he was fine and there was no problem. However, according to the report, this is when he fainted for the second time.

First aid crews arrived at the scene and are reported as shouting "Clear this area, the captain is having an epilepsy attack" - though I find it surprising they were so informative over the nature of the man's attack.

In any case, in the rest of the report it writes the passengers were taken out the back and later put on another flight to Istanbul. The pilot was taken to hospital.

[Owl Lady]

Is there any news of how the pilot is? does this mean that he will be unable to fly again?

[iancrumpy]

Is there any news of how the pilot is?

I've not seen any.

Does this mean that he will be unable to fly again?

If indeed he is prone to attacks of epilepsy, I feel it would be better if he didn't.

[Deniz1]

Having a fit from Epilepsy and fainting are entirely different.

[iancrumpy]

Having a fit from Epilepsy and fainting are entirely different.

Deniz1, I merely translated what was in the report:

In the headline it writes "Pilot Bayıldı" - "the pilot fainted". Later it reports the first aid team as saying "Pilot sara krizi geçiriyor lütfen bu bölgeyi boşaltın" - "Clear the area, the pilot has had an epilepsy attack."

Of course the word "epilepsy" is just apparently what one of the passengers heard.

[iancrumpy]

Having a fit from Epilepsy and fainting are entirely different.

Maybe though the two are not "entirely different" - Epilepsy attacks are not always the "fits" that we normally associate with them.

Quoting from wikipedia, "epilepsy should not be understood as a single disorder, but rather as syndromic with vastly divergent symptoms, all involving episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain and numerous seizures ... an absence seizure presents with a decreased level of consciousness, usually lasting about 20 seconds."

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy

[bigOz]

someone who has epilepsy attacks cannot be allowed to fly a commercial plane - I doubt they will pass their medical for a private pilots license! This guy must have managed to keep his illness a secret throughout his cpl training and on his CV. When you go for a pilot's medical, there is no "epilepsy test" that I know of - but candidates are expected to list any such diseases on their medical forms.

He should be dismissed and given a hefty fine and and/or imprisonment to set an example to any other would be lying commercial pilots! His condition can be quite lethal when taking off and landing - with a potential of killing hundreds of passengers. ıt is worse than drunk and driving because after the mishap, no one can tell the cause and everyone will be too busy blaming the aircraft and the manufacturer for another unusual air crash!

[iancrumpy]

someone who has epilepsy attacks cannot be allowed to fly a commercial plane - I doubt they will pass their medical for a private pilots license! This guy must have managed to keep his illness a secret throughout his cpl training and on his CV. When you go for a pilot's medical, there is no "epilepsy test" that I know of - but candidates are expected to list any such diseases on their medical forms.

He should be dismissed and given a hefty fine and and/or imprisonment to set an example to any other would be lying commercial pilots! His condition can be quite lethal when taking off and landing - with a potential of killing hundreds of passengers. ıt is worse than drunk and driving because after the mishap, no one can tell the cause and everyone will be too busy blaming the aircraft and the manufacturer for another unusual air crash!

Hi Özer,
I've read the report (given in the above link) and others again and as yet there has still been no reliable confirmation that the pilot suffered an epilepsy attack. Even Turkey's "Hürriyet" has reported it as "epilepsy", but as far as I can understand this is merely what the passengers (or rather those that spoke with the reporters) heard the first-aid team shout out when the team entered the plane - ie. "Clear the area, your captain is having an epilepsy attack".

There is a possibility that the man collapsed because of something unbeknown to him until the day of the flight.

[bigOz]

someone who has epilepsy attacks cannot be allowed to fly a commercial plane - I doubt they will pass their medical for a private pilots license! This guy must have managed to keep his illness a secret throughout his cpl training and on his CV. When you go for a pilot's medical, there is no "epilepsy test" that I know of - but candidates are expected to list any such diseases on their medical forms.

He should be dismissed and given a hefty fine and and/or imprisonment to set an example to any other would be lying commercial pilots! His condition can be quite lethal when taking off and landing - with a potential of killing hundreds of passengers. ıt is worse than drunk and driving because after the mishap, no one can tell the cause and everyone will be too busy blaming the aircraft and the manufacturer for another unusual air crash!

Hi Özer,
I've read the report (given in the above link) and others again and as yet there has still been no reliable confirmation that the pilot suffered an epilepsy attack. Even Turkey's "Hürriyet" has reported it as "epilepsy", but as far as I can understand this is merely what the passengers (or rather those that spoke with the reporters) heard the first-aid team shout out when the team entered the plane - ie. "Clear the area, your captain is having an epilepsy attack".

There is a possibility that the man collapsed because of something unbeknown to him until the day of the flight.

Ian, as someone who holds cpl and worked as a flight instructor, I am an avid follower of such aviation news. There has been many examples of pilots who suffered from epilepsy but failed to report their condition to relevant authorites until they were caught out. Pilots in many countries have been dismissed from air-forces and flight schools on many occasions.

You cannot fly as "pilot in command" even in a private aircraft - never mind a passenger jet! Some countries' Aviation authorities do allow such qualified pilots to fly as a "safety pilot" - as the second pilot - who for all intents and purposes is not supposed to fly the aircraft unless there is a real emergency situation such as the pilot in command falling sick and passing out, having a heart attack etc.

So this is not a unique case applying to Turkish Airlines. Some people do hide such information to benefit from a high earning profession - there are probably dozens of commercial pilots as such, flying hundreds of thousands of people every year in many European, American and Eastern Airlines... I hope someone puts pressure on the medical world to find a "test" for epilepsy condition, for people who apply to work as pilots, coach, train drivers and even medical surgeons themselves...

[iancrumpy]

Ian, as someone who holds cpl and worked as a flight instructor, I am an avid follower of such aviation news. There has been many examples of pilots who suffered from epilepsy but failed to report their condition to relevant authorites until they were caught out. Pilots in many countries have been dismissed from air-forces and flight schools on many occasions.

I hear you Özer, and, yes, if the man is found to have concealed his epilepsy condition from the authorities, then I totally agree with you - "he should be dismissed and given a hefty fine as an example to others" ... but we don't as yet even know if he suffers from epilepsy - that's the point I'm trying to make.

[journey1]

yes I agree with iancrumpy -'we don't as yet even know if he suffers from epilepsy. There is often much confusion in a stressful and traumatic incident, no doubt fuelled by a problem perhaps in word choice or translation.
The other factors that should also be considered is that any seizure or fit or faint ( although very different ) may be the first one to have been experienced - afterall these episodes can strike us at any time in our lives for the first time.

[iancrumpy]

There is often much confusion in a stressful and traumatic incident, no doubt fuelled by a problem perhaps in word choice or translation.

Hi journey1
Re; translation - it was Turkish-speaking passengers hearing what a Turkish-speaking first-aid team was telling them, but yes, in the heat of the moment, it's likely that the medics may have used the wrong word or the passengers may have misheard what was said to them.
To be honest, I am still surprised that the medics didn't just say "Your captain has collapsed" - maybe they did.

[woodspeckie]

Off topic but just read BBC text two Turkish Airline pilots have been abducted in Lebanon by gunmen, they were on a bus with several other crew members between hotel and airport.

[iancrumpy]

Off topic but just read BBC text two Turkish Airline pilots have been abducted in Lebanon by gunmen, they were on a bus with several other crew members between hotel and airport.

Hi Woodspeckie,
If I'd been you, with such a relatively big story, I would have started a new thread - the topic of this thread has now run out of steam ... and so few will read what you posted
In any case, let's hope the pilots are soon back with their families.
Ian

[woodspeckie]

I couldn't find where to post a new topic Ian.

[journey1]

its news and important - go to the start of Kibcom and scroll down - you will see on Left side |New Posts