Backcountry Pilot • Heart Attack

Heart Attack

Near misses, close calls, and lessons learned the hard way. Share with others so that they might avoid the same mistakes.
3 postsPage 1 of 1

Heart Attack

Anyone read this month's AOPA Never Again?

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2009/december/na0912.html

You'll probably need to login to the website to read that (AOPA login.) Basically this guy who is in otherwise good shape (or so he thinks) has a heart attack while flying solo in his 172. Scary!

AOPA Never Again wrote:Just as suddenly as it began, the pain ended. What had happened? I continued letting the autopilot fly me toward Greenwood. I wondered if I should turn back. My headwind would turn to a tailwind if I went home. I could see the Indianapolis skyline ahead on my right and decided to continue on.

Then the pain began anew. This time, I was sure it really was a heart attack. I called Greenwood unicom and said I had a medical emergency and asked that someone call for help, but there was only silence. Then, the pilot of an aircraft in the landing pattern said he would call 911 as soon as he touched down. Someone at the FBO asked me to repeat, and the same pilot told of my medical emergency and said to call 911 immediately. More...


So I guess it does happen. I've always held that the "heart attack" theory was all people could come up with when nothing else can explain why someone went down. "He was such a great pilot, he HAD to have had a heart attack or something." Yeah right... Well I guess it's not that far out of the realm of possibility after reading this.
Zzz offline
Janitorial Staff
User avatar
Posts: 2855
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 11:09 pm
Location: northern
Aircraft: Swiveling desk chair
Half a century spent proving “it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Re: Heart Attack

I can't read the article because I don't have credentials to log in. Did the article say what altitude he was at? The higher you fly, the harder your heart has to work.
kevbert offline
Posts: 948
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Idaho

Re: Heart Attack

kevbert wrote:I can't read the article because I don't have credentials to log in. Did the article say what altitude he was at? The higher you fly, the harder your heart has to work.


3,500 Ft
Skystrider offline
User avatar
Posts: 1232
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:44 pm
Location: Saylorsburg
Aircraft: Zenith CH701 w/ Jabiru 3300

DISPLAY OPTIONS

3 postsPage 1 of 1

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

Latest Features

Latest Knowledge Base