Two Cathay Pacific captains lose eyesight during
flights, sparking probe by authorities
Two Cathay Pacific Airways captains
suffered loss of eyesight on separate flights earlier this year, forcing their
co-pilots to take command of their aircraft and issue urgent calls to air
traffic control before landing safely, Hong Kong’s aviation incident authority
disclosed on Tuesday.
One
captain was flying from Perth, Australia, to Hong Kong on flight CX170 on
February 21 when he told his first officer, the co-pilot, that he felt out of
breath and his vision was impaired, before declaring he was incapacitated,
according to a preliminary report by the Air Accident Investigation Authority.
The
Airbus A350 carrying 270 passengers and 13 crew members was flying over Manila
at 6am at the time. The first officer took command of the aircraft.
The
captain was given oxygen and his condition later stabilised. He remained
conscious and in communication with the first officer and a senior purser, the
report said.
The crew sought help from a passenger who was a medical
professional, while asking the company doctor in Hong Kong for advice.
As the aircraft entered the Hong Kong flight information region
(FIR), the first officer made a so-called Pan-Pan call to the local air traffic
control to request a priority approach.
A lower flight altitude to decrease cabin pressure was also
requested to assist with the captain’s recovery.
Pan-Pan is the international call signal declaring that there is
an urgent situation on board an aircraft or vessel but that it does not pose an
immediate danger to life or to the vehicle. It is referred to as a state of
urgency requiring priority from the air navigation service provider, in these
two cases Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department.
The flight landed at Hong Kong International Airport
uneventfully at 7.16am.
The report said the captain had 25,000 hours of flying
experience and 97 hours of command time for the aircraft model. His medical
certificate was class 1.
On January 26, the captain on flight CX583, carrying 348
passengers and 16 crew, between Sapporo and Hong Kong suffered a sudden loss of
visual acuity for about 30 minutes, another preliminary report said.
The captain also told the first officer about his loss of
vision, before giving up control of the Boeing 777 west of Taiwan.
He remained in his seat and secured the harness restraints to
prevent any possible interruption with flight operations.
As the flight entered the Hong Kong FIR, a Pan-Pan call was
declared to air traffic control to ask for a priority approach. The aircraft
landed at the airport safely.
The captain had 27,500 hours of flying experience and 4,000
hours of command time for the aircraft. His medical certificate was also class
1.
The authority, which categorised both “flight crew
incapacitation” events as “serious incidents”, said an investigation team was
analysing data collected to determine the circumstances and causes. Each
investigation was expected to take about 12 months, the reports said.
“The [authority] will continue to collect and study all relevant
information in order to determine the circumstances and causes of the serious
incidents,” a spokesman said. “More in-depth investigation and analysis have to
be conducted before any conclusion can be drawn.”
A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said the airline was aware of the
investigations and was cooperating fully.
“Safety is in the consideration of everything we do and in each
case, the operating crew acted in accordance with Cathay Pacific’s standard
operating procedures regarding pilot incapacitation,” she said.
Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho, who is a commercial
pilot, said he had rarely heard of an incident in which a pilot experienced a
sudden loss of vision.
“We can’t jump to conclusions at the moment. This could be
because of sudden illness to the pilot, or eye problems, or blood pressure
problems. It is for the authority to investigate the cause of the incidents,”
he said.
“This is definitely not the first incident in which the first
officer has had to assume control of an aircraft. But suffering a sudden loss
of visual acuity is, I would say, a rare incident.”
Tam said pilots were required to have a body check every year.
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