"Pilot Suddenly Collapses in Airport’s Atrium"

Delayed, but there.

Apr 25, 2023

I was starting to doubt my instincts. This piece of news came as a saving grace:

“Richmond TSA officers help save pilot's life at the airport”(Richmond.com, 2023.04.24):

Officers Trenard Collier and Nigel Allen noticed a pilot suddenly collapse in the airport’s atrium on April 11.
“Trenard saw the pilot on the other side of the atrium and told me, ‘I think that guy is about to pass out,’” Allen said. “I looked over just as the pilot fell to the floor.”
According to a statement issued by the TSA on Monday, the pilot staggered briefly near a railing before falling and losing consciousness. That’s when Allen jumped into action, running to the pilot’s side and performing first aid.
Police and firefighters arrived to perform CPR, but despite their efforts to resuscitate the pilot, the pilot’s heart stopped, requiring “extended medical intervention,” according to the TSA.

P.S. The discussion section yielded these additional results:

“Died suddenly - Military cadets, mandated to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated, are dying suddenly recently” (DR. WILLIAM MAKIS MD, 2023.04.25)

“Canadian doctor sudden deaths have reached 150 since COVID-19 vaccines rolled out” (DR. WILLIAM MAKIS MD, 2023.04.22)

P.S. 2023.05.28 A pretty long list of [some] pilot deaths and close encounters just in the last couple of months, from one unexhaustive source:

A Lily Bit

SQUAWK 7700-Pilot Incapacitations are Increasing

In the world of aviation, we communicate in a language of codes and call signs, whispers of data that speak volumes about what's happening in the sky. There is one code, however, that every pilot dreads to broadcast—Squawk 7700. It's a code that can make hearts race faster than Mach 0.9. It signals an emergency—a declaration that something has gone terr…

2 years ago · 25 likes · 11 comments · Lily

March 3, 2023: First Officer suffered a heart attack during a Virgin Australia flight from Adelaide to Perth, forcing an emergency landing.
March 5, 2023: Reports of pilots and flight attendants experiencing cardiac arrests and "sudden deaths" in-flight.
March 11, 2023: United Airlines Flight 2007 from Guatemala to Chicago was diverted due to an “incapacitated pilot” experiencing chest pains.
March 12, 2023: A British Airways pilot collapsed and died of a heart attack shortly before he was set to captain an Airbus A321 from Cairo to London.
March 13, 2023: Emirates Flight EK205 from Milan was diverted due to pilot illness, and returned to Milan for an emergency landing.
March 14, 2023: Another pilot, this time on a HiSky flight from Dublin to Chisinau, became "unable to act", causing the plane to divert to Manchester.
March 17, 2023: A Canadian pilot died after suffering a heart attack; additionally, a 39-year-old Alberta pilot for WestJet Airlines died suddenly while on active duty.
March 18, 2023: Air Transat Flight TS739 from Fort-de-France to Montreal experienced a pilot incapacitation in-flight.
March 22, 2023: Southwest Airlines WN6013 flight from Las Vegas to CMH was diverted as the pilot collapsed shortly after takeoff.
March 25, 2023: TAROM Flight RO-7673 from Timisoara (Romania) to Hurghada (Egypt) was diverted after the pilot had chest pain and collapsed.
April 10, 2023: Young pilot Phil Thomas died suddenly.
April 11, 2023: A pilot had a cardiac arrest and collapsed at Richmond International Airport (Richmond, VA), saved by two TSA officers.
May 3, 2023: Air Transat and former Air Canada pilot Eddy Vorperian, age 48, from Montreal, Canada, died suddenly.
May 4, 2023: British Charter TUI Airways Flight BY-1424 from Newcastle to Las Palmas Spain was diverted back after the pilot became ill.
May 9, 2023: United Airlines and US Air Force Pilot Lt. Col. Michael Fugett, age 46, dies unexpectedly at his home.

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