Flight instructor dies during flight, but copilot thought he was pretending to be asleep | Abroad

A qualified pilot had asked an instructor to accompany him aboard a four-seater Piper PA-28 for safety reasons due to heavy winds. This is stated in the report of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom after the incident. The flight instructor went into cardiac arrest during the flight, but his copilot didn’t realize it until they landed safely. He thought the instructor was joking and pretended to be asleep.

Not long after takeoff, the instructor’s head would have rolled back. But the pilot wasn’t worried yet. The two knew each other well, and the copilot assumed his companion was trying to prank him. As the aircraft turned over, the instructor slumped forward, landing his head on the copilot’s shoulder. Even then, the latter still thought it was a joke.

However, after a safe landing, the instructor still did not respond. At that point, the pilot realized something was wrong and immediately alerted the airport’s emergency services. They were unable to resuscitate the instructor.

The instructor probably died of cardiac arrest. This is the conclusion of the medical team of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, who thoroughly investigated the case. However, the cardiac arrest would have been completely unexpected, because the instructor seemed to be feeling very well before the flight. “People who spoke to him on the morning of the incident said he was his normal happy self and there was no indication that he was unwell,” the AAIB report said. He was known to have high blood pressure, but it seemed to be under control.