Air Canada flight has tense moments mid-air as pilot becomes 'incapacitated'

A pilot on an Air Canada flight out of Toronto earlier this month became “incapacitated” mid-flight, Canada’s transportation watchdog confirmed to CTV News Toronto.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said it happened on flight AC692, which departed Toronto Pearson International Airport to St. John’s International Airport on June 7.

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In an email, the TSB said that during the flight, the first officer “became incapacitated.”

The TSB went on to say that a deadheading captain -- meaning a pilot who was on the flight as a passenger – assumed the crew member’s duties and landed the aircraft “without further incident.”

Emergency crews were on standby at the gate once the flight touched down in St. John’s, N.L., the TSB said.

It’s unclear how the first officer, also known as a co-pilot, became incapacitated.

The TSB said the incident has been classified as a Class 5 occurrence, which means it’s not subject to comprehensive investigation and “has little likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will advance transportation safety,” according its website.

An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

“However, data on Class 5 occurrences are recorded in suitable scope for possible future safety analysis, statistical reporting, or archival purposes,” a spokesperson for the federal agency said in an email.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to Air Canada for comment but has not received a response.