A passenger plane carrying 186 people has been forced to divert and land under the control of a single pilot after the other pilot fainted during the height of a thunderstorm.
The plane, a B737-800 operated by Ryanair, was flying from London Stansted to Palermo in Sicily on Thursday evening. As it descended towards the runway in turbulent conditions, the crew initiated a go-around to attempt the landing a second time.
During that process the captain reported that the first officer had fallen ill. The plane diverted to Trapani, also in Sicily. Italian media reported that the first officer had hit his head, perhaps in the turbulence.
In statement quoted by the London Sun, Ryanair said: “The first officer on this flight briefly fainted while the aircraft was being landed by the captain at Trapani.
“He was examined by local medical staff and taken to hospital, where he was examined and released shortly thereafter without suffering any ill-effects whatsoever.”
Ryanair said the plane had diverted because of the storm, not because of the fainting.
The flight continued in the morning after a delay of 11 hours.
MEANWHILE, in some good news for Ryanair, the airline has reached a tentative agreement with the Irish union Fórsa, which represents its Ireland-based pilots.
No details were released on the deal, which may end the current dispute and series of strikes. It will now go to a ballot of union members.
Written by Peter Needham
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