Both pilots incapacitated by turbulence

[Donald]

http://avherald.com/h?article=484909ea&opt=0

Incident: Sky Regional E175 at Washington on Mar 31st 2015, severe turbulence sickens captain and incapacitates first officer

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Apr 10th 2015 22:08Z, last updated Friday, Apr 10th 2015 22:08Z
A Sky Regional Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Air Canada, registration C-FEJC performing flight RS-7358/AC-7358 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Washington National,DC (USA) with 44 people on board, was descending towards Washington's Ronald Reagan Airport when below 10,000 feet the aircraft encountered severe turbulence all the way down. Both flight crew felt sick and had problems controlling the aircraft, at 1600 feet the crew initiated a go-around and received vectors for a second approach. The first officer became ill and was unable to continue duties. The captain requested a diversion to Baltimore at low altitude below turbulence, ATC provided vectors to Baltimore but refused vectors at low altitude. While enroute to Baltimore the first officer recovered and resumed duties but again became ill and unable to continue duties while on approach to Baltimore. The captain managed to land the aircraft safely in Baltimore about 25 minutes after going around.

[SnotRocket]

http://avherald.com/h?article=484909ea&opt=0

Incident: Sky Regional E175 at Washington on Mar 31st 2015, severe turbulence sickens captain and incapacitates first officer

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Apr 10th 2015 22:08Z, last updated Friday, Apr 10th 2015 22:08Z
A Sky Regional Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Air Canada, registration C-FEJC performing flight RS-7358/AC-7358 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Washington National,DC (USA) with 44 people on board, was descending towards Washington's Ronald Reagan Airport when below 10,000 feet the aircraft encountered severe turbulence all the way down. Both flight crew felt sick and had problems controlling the aircraft, at 1600 feet the crew initiated a go-around and received vectors for a second approach. The first officer became ill and was unable to continue duties. The captain requested a diversion to Baltimore at low altitude below turbulence, ATC provided vectors to Baltimore but refused vectors at low altitude. While enroute to Baltimore the first officer recovered and resumed duties but again became ill and unable to continue duties while on approach to Baltimore. The captain managed to land the aircraft safely in Baltimore about 25 minutes after going around.

Too many drinks the night before?

[CpnCrunch]

Too many drinks the night before?

Or perhaps severe turbulence?

[pelmet]

Wow...D.C. gets a lot of arrivals. I wonder if any other crews were incapacitated.

[HiFlyChick]

Wonder if they ate at the same restaurant the night before - I once had a flight where the F/O had food poisoning that started exhibiting itself mid-flight.

[vanNostrum]

How did the passengers reacted to the severe turbulence? Were they also sick?
I'm surprise that there are no videos " OMG we gonna die" from any of the passengers or like in the movies, the FA asking in shaky voice " is there a pilot on board'

[phillyfan]

Perhaps these fellas should look for a different line of work? How were the passengers on this thrill ride doing in the back?

[CpnCrunch]

I'm just curious if the posters above have actually ever experienced prolonged (10+ mins), moderate to severe turbulence.

[Siddley Hawker]

Sounds like turbulence to knock the wrinkles right outta your scrotum!

Wonder if they ate at the same restaurant the night before - I once had a flight where the F/O had food poisoning that started exhibiting itself mid-flight.

I've had the same thing happen. We both ate scallops but the Captain ate all the tartar sauce -(tiggers don't like tartar sauce.) I still felt nauseous but the Cap was pukin' his guts out by the time we were on final at home base.

[Canoehead]

I'm just curious if the posters above have actually ever experienced prolonged (10+ mins), moderate to severe turbulence.

I have. Not a pleasant ride at all for probably 20+ minutes.

Didn't feel sick though. Far too busy for that.

[vanNostrum]

I'm just curious if the posters above have actually ever experienced prolonged (10+ mins), moderate to severe turbulence.

Please forgive some of us for not having your extensive experience about flying in turbulence.
I'm trying to understand how two experienced pilots became almost incapacitated while there are no reports of injuries to the passengers or FA and no metal bent

[7ECA]

Your tolerance for turbulence, depends on how often you fly, and how often you encounter turbulence. I haven't flow much in the past few months, so getting bounced around even a little becomes somewhat uncomfortable. But, when I fly much more regularly, I do not notice it.

Sort of the same with G tolerance, amongst aerobatic pilots, it takes time and effort to build up your tolerance. And once you get away from it for a while, that tolerance is very low...

[CpnCrunch]

I'm just curious if the posters above have actually ever experienced prolonged (10+ mins), moderate to severe turbulence.

Please forgive some of us for not having your extensive experience about flying in turbulence.
I'm trying to understand how two experienced pilots became almost incapacitated while there are no reports of injuries to the passengers or FA and no metal bent

I never said anything about my experience, or is that sarcasm? I was just questioning the people -- like you -- who think that no pilots should ever feel motion sickness.

It doesn't require metal bending to cause sickness. How often do airline pilots even experience prolonged, constant, moderate turbulence? I can't remember a single instance where that has happened to me as a passenger, so I'm thinking it's probably quite rare.

It's certainly open to question whether this was "severe" turbulence, but even prolonged and constant moderate will produce that effect if you're not used to it.

[edit] Just to give an example, the kind of turbulence I'm talking about is what you experience when flying at 500AGL in the mountains or foothills on a sunny summer day.

[Liquid Charlie]

In my years of experience I have only ever encountered severe to extreme turbulence about 3 times -- once in a thunder storm, once CAT and the other mountain associate mechanical -- having said that I have heard lots of reports of severe turbulence that in my opinion was moderate and moderate reports that we in fact light -- I have also seen people get sick while flying - motion and nerves or both -- what strikes me strange is that both crew members were complaining of feeling ill -- the possibility of that happening is remote -- I would suggest there is a food or environment issue at play here -- most of what people call stomach flu is actually food poisoning --

---or--- is this another side effect of the new generation of pilot -- someone who has not .. run or flown on that hot and windy summer day at 300 feet because the aeroplane would not climb any higher day in and day out for several thousand hours --

and someone said it --

Didn't feel sick though. Far too busy for that.

[all_ramped_up]

If they couldn't handle turbulence like that they should be glad they're not Sailors.

Yarrrr.... The North Atlantic, she's a cruel Mistress! Many a Deckhand have I seen paint the deck with their gut's contents!

[RatherBeFlying]

Early in the year flying gliders, I need a bit of reacclimatisation to tame the tummy butterflies which seem to get friskier every year. Interesting that when you confess to getting sick that many other glider pilots confess to the same problem.

Can't use those aromatic feedlot thermal early in the year.

You do feel better after using a sick bag and having a few sips of water to rinse out your mouth.

[HiFlyChick]

...I've had the same thing happen. We both ate scallops but the Captain ate all the tartar sauce -(tiggers don't like tartar sauce.) I still felt nauseous but the Cap was pukin' his guts out by the time we were on final at home base.

That's rough with both of you feeling crappy - at least I was a-ok when my F/O was puking her guts out. We wondered if she had the flu but when she got home she found out her roommate was also sick at the same time because of a common meal they shared

[kev994]

Sympathetic puker?

[ditar]

Better than both getting explosive diarrhea. What do you do in that circumstance?

[Meatservo]

Better than both getting explosive diarrhea. What do you do in that circumstance?

Believe it or not I know some people who can answer that question for you. It ain't pleasant. Put it this way: the entire cockpit painted floor to ceiling still doesn't render the plane unflyable....

[Liquid Charlie]

Better than both getting explosive diarrhea. What do you do in that circumstance?

-- simple -- you shit your pants -- maybe some of the fighter jocks will tell some of their stories -- --

[davecessna]

---or--- is this another side effect of the new generation of pilot

Hahaha, what a cheap shot.

[Liquid Charlie]

-- got to lay one across the bow once in a while

[Driving Rain]

I'm just curious if the posters above have actually ever experienced prolonged (10+ mins), moderate to severe turbulence.

In my line of work it was up to 4 hours at a time, and yes nausea would be a problem at times.

[pelmet]

...I've had the same thing happen. We both ate scallops but the Captain ate all the tartar sauce -(tiggers don't like tartar sauce.) I still felt nauseous but the Cap was pukin' his guts out by the time we were on final at home base.

That's rough with both of you feeling crappy - at least I was a-ok when my F/O was puking her guts out. We wondered if she had the flu but when she got home she found out her roommate was also sick at the same time because of a common meal they shared

A better explanation of what happened is here....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1rzzGugIU