<p>Southwest Airlines officials confirmed Wednesday that an off-duty pilot flying as a passenger on a flight out of Las Vegas helped take control of the aircraft shortly after takeoff when the plane&#8217;s captain suffered a medical emergency.</p>
<p>Southwest Flight 6013 departed Las Vegas, Nevada, around 6:30 a.m., heading to Columbus, Ohio, when the captain fainted from stomach pain, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/southwest-pilot-suffers-medical-emergency-flight-off-duty/story?id=98073854">ABC</a>. Air traffic control audio obtained by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/23/us/southwest-airlines-off-duty-pilot-steps-in-medical-emergency/index.html">CNN</a> recorded a flight crew member notifying officials that &#8220;the captain became incapacitated while en route.&#8221;</p>
<p>Chris Perry, a spokesperson for the airline, told <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/23/off-duty-pilot-helps-land-jet-after-captain-incapacitated/">The New York Post</a> a credentialed pilot from another airline flying with Southwest entered the cockpit and &#8220;assisted with radio communication while our Southwest Pilot flew the aircraft.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to air traffic audio reported by ABC, the unidentified off-duty pilot notified control tower operators that flight attendants were with the Southwest pilot in the back of the aircraft.</p>
<p>&#8220;But we need to get him on an ambulance immediately,&#8221; the pilot told air traffic controllers, according to air traffic audio.</p>
<p>Airline officials said the pilot re-routed the aircraft to Las Vegas, where emergency health crews stood by to attend to the captain&#8217;s medical needs. Southwest arranged an alternate flight crew to transport the passengers to their destination.</p>
<p>&#8220;We commend the crew for their professionalism and appreciate our customers&#8217; patience and understanding regarding the situation,&#8221; Southwest said in a statement.</p>
<p>Southwest officials did not immediately disclose the pilot&#8217;s condition.</p>
<p><b data-stringify-type="bold"><a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a></b></p>
<p>Southwest told The Post it was &#8220;standard procedure&#8221; to &#8220;request assistance from traveling medical personnel during in-flight medical events.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This situation just so happened to involve one of our Employees,&#8221; the airline said</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-urges-airlines-pilots-and-others-take-key-safety-actions">Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA) has begun investigating the incident, reminding flight personnel of the &#8220;need for continued vigilance and attention to mitigation of safety risks.&#8221;</p>
<p>FAA authorities issued a safety alert amid six runway incidents since January, including &#8220;a near miss at JFK Airport in January, and a Southwest jet that recently came within 200 feet of slamming into an ambulance crossing the runway at Baltimore&#8217;s airport,&#8221; The Post reported.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the overall numbers do not reflect an increase in incidents and occurrences, the potential severity of these events is concerning,&#8221; the FAA said.</p>

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Southwest Pilot Suffers Medical Emergency In Flight — Off-Duty Flyer Steps In