A Continental Airlines flight from Brussels will be making an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after the plane’s captain died mid-flight Thursday morning, CBS 2 reports.
Federal Aviation Administration officials say Continental Flight 61 will land at Newark at noon. Newark was the flight’s final destination. It left Brussels at 9:45 a.m.
It’s not known what caused the pilot to become ill.
Officials say a reserve crew on the flight will be managing the landing.
UPDATE: A Continental Airlines flight from Brussels landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport after the plane’s captain died mid-flight Thursday morning, YWN has learned. Federal Aviation Administration officials say Continental Flight 61, a Boeing 777 with 247 passengers on board, landed at Newark shortly before noon. Continental officials say the 61-year-old pilot died of natural causes. His identity has not yet been released, but officials say he worked for the company for 21 years and was based out of Newark.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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8 Responses
whos the reserve crew on the flight?
“Officials say a reserve crew on the flight will be managing the landing.”
This is normal procedure to have alternate crew members on board long flight especially overseas.
“Continental officials say the 61-year-old pilot died of natural causes”.
Since when do you call a 61 year old dying, a natural cause??
#1 do you mean what is a reserve crew? it is a backup pilot and co-pilot to give the main crew a rest on long haul flights.
At least the captain hit the headlines as he expired. Were the passengers aware of the problem? wouldnt it have caused panic? and yes there is usually a co pilot so why the need for an emergency landing, is a co pilot not fully trained?
berliner: they mean natural, not terrorism related; or natural, not foul play. Of course 61 is young.
natural means not terrorism but some sort of illness i.e. heart attack, stroke etc.
I hope there wasn’t a kohen on that flight