A first officer safely landed an Air Canada regional flight in Boston on Wednesday after the captain suffered a medical emergency, with 61 passengers aboard.
Air Canada Flight 7664 had taken off from Newark Liberty International Airport bound for Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia when the captain was incapacitated about an hour into the journey. The first officer assumed command, declared a diversion and put the Dash 8-400 turboprop down at Boston Logan International Airport at approximately 2 p.m. local time.
Emergency crews were waiting on the runway. Boston Emergency Medical Services personnel brought a stretcher to the cockpit and transferred the captain to an ambulance within minutes of touchdown. The pilot was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
The flight is operated by PAL Airlines, a Canadian regional carrier running routes under the Air Canada Express banner. The Dash 8-400 is a twin turboprop with a typical seating capacity of up to 74 passengers. Wednesday’s flight carried 61. Commercial aviation protocols require the qualified remaining officer to take sole command if a captain is declared incapacitated, with removal from the flight deck immediate.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Massachusetts State Police confirmed a crew member had suffered a medical emergency forcing the diversion. Air Canada said the crew followed standard safety procedures throughout. The captain’s condition had not been publicly disclosed as of Wednesday evening.
Medical diversions involving commercial flights are subject to standard review by the FAA and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
