USA: Envoy Air captain collapses in cockpit and dies

On November 22, 2022, a tragic death occurred on an American Airlines flight operated by Envoy Air. The flight captain collapsed shortly after take-off and later died.

According to Envoy Air, it was a young pilot who was in training to become a captain. He was accompanied by an experienced training pilot who was in the right seat and successfully completed the return landing. A first officer was also on the jump seat. He is said to have initiated resuscitation measures. In the cockpit, it was assumed that the young commander might have suffered a heart attack.

The Embraer 175 (N225NN) was en route from Chicago (ORD) to Columbus as AA3556. For reasons that are still unclear, the captain collapsed during take-off. The instructor immediately reported the medical emergency and requested a return landing in Chicago. The second pilot was able to complete this successfully. The emergency landing took place just ten minutes after takeoff.

“Despite the heroic efforts of those on board and rescue workers on the ground, our colleague passed away in hospital. We are deeply saddened and are doing all we can to support his family and our colleagues at this time," the airline said in a statement.

Rescue operations were carried out while still on board. Ultimately, any help came too late for the captain, because he later died. The cause of his sudden collapse resulting in death is not yet clear. An autopsy will determine this.