A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 diverted to Detroit after its captain became ill during a transcontinental US flight, with the pilot remaining on the radio and telling air traffic control that he needed to go to a hospital after landing.
Flight DL437 was operating from Los Angeles International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport on August 25 with 147 passengers when the crew declared a medical emergency and diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The aircraft was N707TW, a Boeing 757-200 built in 1997.
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Flight tracking data show the 757 was cruising at 39,000 ft about 120 nautical miles (222 km) west of Detroit when it began its diversion. The aircraft landed on Runway 22L about 21 minutes after leaving its cruise altitude.
Air traffic control recordings provide an unusual account of the emergency because the captain himself continued communicating with controllers despite being the crew member requiring medical attention.
“This is the captain. I’m the one that’s ill,” he told the tower. “I’m gonna taxi the jet to the gate, and then I need to go to the hospital.”
The recordings do not establish which pilot flew the approach and landing. The captain’s continued handling of radio communications could be consistent with the first officer acting as pilot flying, but Delta has not disclosed how cockpit duties were divided during the diversion.
Controllers treated DL437 as an emergency aircraft and worked to shorten its route to the terminal after landing. The 757 touched down at about 5:38 p.m. local time and was directed toward a taxiway that provided a shorter route to its gate, arriving there about five minutes later.
Emergency personnel from the Wayne County Airport Authority responded after the aircraft reached the terminal. The captain left the aircraft and was transported to a hospital.
Delta has described the event only as a crew illness and has not disclosed the pilot’s medical condition.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the captain was later diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent surgery. No confirmation of that diagnosis has been provided by Delta or airport authorities.
Replacement crew sent to Detroit
The diversion did not require an aircraft change. Delta sent a replacement flight crew and N707TW subsequently continued to Boston with the passengers.
The 757 departed Detroit at about 7:17 p.m. and arrived at Boston Logan at approximately 9:04 p.m.
Pilot medical events occasionally result in diversions, although complete incapacitation of a flight crew member is uncommon. Airline cockpit procedures are designed so either pilot can operate the aircraft if the other becomes unable to perform their duties.
In this case, the available air traffic control recordings indicate that the captain remained conscious and able to communicate through the diversion and after landing. Delta has not said when his symptoms began or what prompted the decision to divert to Detroit.
