A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Boston made an emergency landing in Detroit on Tuesday after the captain reported becoming ill and said he needed to go to a hospital.
Delta Flight 437, carrying 147 passengers and crew aboard a Boeing 757-200, departed Los Angeles International Airport at about 11 a.m. on August 25. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport roughly five and a half hours later.
About three and a half hours into the flight, the aircraft diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
Captain Alerts Air Traffic Control
An air traffic control recording captured the captain informing the tower about the medical emergency.
“This is the captain. I am the one who is ill,” he said, People reported. “I’m gonna taxi the jet to the gate, and then I need to go to the hospital.”
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the aircraft landed safely in Detroit at about 5:30 p.m. local time after the crew reported a medical emergency involving a crewmember.
The Wayne County Airport Authority said its airport fire department responded to the medical situation after the plane diverted. The captain was transported to a local hospital following the landing. His condition was not immediately available.
New Crew Continues Flight to Boston
Delta confirmed the flight landed safely in Detroit and said a new crew was assigned to continue the trip.
The aircraft later departed Detroit for Boston and arrived at the gate at about 9:04 p.m., approximately 90 minutes later than originally scheduled, according to FlightAware.
Former military and commercial pilot Matthew “Whiz” Buckley told CBS Boston that it made sense for the captain to communicate with air traffic control while the other pilot focused on flying the aircraft.
Buckley said pilots are expected to divert to the nearest suitable airport when a crew member becomes incapacitated or believes they may become unable to continue safely.
Delta apologized to passengers for the disruption caused by the medical emergency.
There was no immediate information about what caused the captain to become ill.
