A flying instructor died during take-off, but the pilot did not realise and assumed he was 'joking' with him by pretending to be asleep. The 57-year-old instructor had agreed to join the qualified pilot on a quick circuit around Blackpool Airport, but he tragically suffered a heart attack during the journey.
The pilot, who knew him well, initially believed the instructor was pretending to sleep as a joke and did not become aware of the tragic situation until landing.
Upon touching ground, he realised what was really happening and alerted nearby airport fire crews and air ambulance staff who were stationed there. Sadly, the man could not be saved despite their best efforts, reports LancsLive.
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The instructor had passed a medical check just months before the fatal episode. An investigation was later launched by the Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) as although the circumstances fell outside of its remit, it was felt there may be lessons to be learnt by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The findings of that investigation have now been published and note that the instructor had passed a medical examination just four months earlier. He was described as being in good spirits on the morning of June 29, 2022, and had completed a trial lesson with three people who reported nothing unusual before he joined the 10am circuit.
The pilot of that plane, a Piper PA-28-161 light aircraft, had originally planned to fly from Blackpool to another airport before changing plans as he felt the crosswinds were above the level permitted for him to fly alone. As he wanted to maintain his recency requirements for his flying club, he asked the instructor to join him for a circuit.
He recalled that during the taxi to the runway, they were both talking normally and the instructor had told him “looks good, there is nothing behind you” in response to one comment about power checks. The instructor did not say anything after that point.
The report states: "The pilot recalled that shortly after take off from Runway 28 the instructor’s head rolled back. The pilot knew the instructor well and thought he was just pretending to take a nap whilst the pilot flew the circuit, so he did not think anything was wrong at this stage.
"He proceeded to fly the aircraft round the circuit. As he turned onto base leg the instructor slumped over with his head resting on the pilot’s shoulder. The pilot still thought the instructor was just joking with him and continued to fly the approach. He landed normally on Runway 28 and started to taxi back to the apron. However, the instructor was still resting on his shoulder and was not responding, and the pilot realised something was wrong."
A post-mortem concluded that the instructor died from acute cardiac failure with findings included a blood clot in left main stem artery and a medical history of high blood pressure. The AAIB report note stated: "The flying instructor suffered a sudden fatal heart attack as the aircraft was taking off. On this occasion he was flying with a qualified pilot who was able to land the aircraft safely. However, had this occurred on another flight the outcome could have been different."
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