Two Cathay Pacific captains 'suffer sudden loss of vision' in mid-air medical emergencies on separate flights just weeks apart
- Two Cathay Pacific captains suffered loss of vision on separate flights this year
- This has sparked an investigation by Hong Kong’s aviation incident authority
- Cathay Pacific said the airline would be cooperating with the investigations fully
Two Cathay Pacific airline captains suffered loss of eyesight on separate flights this year, sparking an investigation by Hong Kong’s aviation incident authority.
The captain on flight CX583, carrying 348 passengers and 16 crew between Sapporo and Hong Kong, suffered a sudden loss of vision on January 26.
This lasted for around half an hour and the co-pilot had to take control of the Boeing 777 west of Taiwan, according to a preliminary report by the country’s Air Accident Investigation Authority.
On February 21, another captain, of the CX170 flight from Perth, Australia, to Hong Kong, complained he felt out of breath and that his vision was impaired before forcing his first officer to take command.
A Boeing Co. 777 aircraft operated by Cathay Pacific Airways. Two Cathay Pacific airline captains suffered loss of eyesight on separate flights this year, sparking an investigation by Hong Kong’s aviation incident authority
The Airbus A350, carrying 270 passengers and 13 crew members, was flying over Manila at the time.
The captain was given oxygen and crew members sought help from a passenger with a medical profession as well as the company doctor in Hong Kong.
His condition was stabilised.
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Both incidences resulted in a Pan-Pan call being made by the co-pilots before safely arriving in their destinations, local media reports.
This is an international signal declaring an urgent situation on board an aircraft which does not pose immediate danger.
An Airbus SE A350 aircraft operated by Cathay Pacific Airways. A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said the airline would be cooperating with the investigations fully
It requires being investigating by the air navigation service provider, which in these two cases is Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department.
The authority, which declared both ‘flight crew incapacitation’ events as ‘serious incidents’, said an investigation team was trying to determine the cause.
‘The [authority] will continue to collect and study all relevant information in order to determine the circumstances and causes of the serious incidents,’ a spokesman said.
‘More in-depth investigation and analysis have to be conducted before any conclusion can be drawn.’
A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman told The Star Online: ‘Safety is in the consideration of everything we do and in each case, the operating crew acted in accordance with Cathay Pacific’s standard operating procedures regarding pilot incapacitation.’
She added that the airline would be cooperating with the investigations fully.
