Continental Pilot Dies at the Controls During Flight

The pilot of a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, became ill during the flight Saturday and died after the plane was diverted to McAllen, the airline announced.

"The co-pilot consulted with Continental's operations center and arrangements were made to divert the aircraft to McAllen and to be met by an ambulance," airline spokesman Dave Messing said in an e-mail. " ... Unfortunately, the ill pilot did not survive."

Messing said the Newark, N.J.-based pilot is thought to have died of natural causes. Messing declined to identify the pilot but said he had more than 20 years of service.

Lt. Paulo Herrera of the McAllen Fire Department said the pilot had a heart attack.

Continental Flight 1838, a Boeing 757, departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 11:30 a.m. with 210 passengers. It landed in McAllen about 1:30 p.m. A replacement crew flew from Houston to McAllen and the flight took off again about 6 p.m. and landed in Puerto Vallarta at 7:17 p.m.

Lt. Scott Luke of the McAllen Police Department, who responded to the airport, said the flight's captain collapsed at the controls while the plane was about 200 miles south of the Texas border.

The McAllen Fire Department was notified at 1:21 p.m. about "an inflight medical emergency," Herrera said.

"They told us it was for a full arrest," he said.

"We waited for the plane to taxi to the jetway, and then we went onboard the plane," Herrera said. "The pilot was on the floor by the door. They had done compressions, CPR on him onboard the aircraft."

The pilot was transported to McAllen Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 1:50 p.m., Luke said.

"There were a lot of passengers on the plane," Herrera said. "Some of them, a lot of them, had assisted the co-pilot and flight attendants in trying to help the pilot."

Luke said the passengers included a couple of doctors and nurses.

"They were pretty upset, losing their friend," Luke said of the crew. He said an autopsy would be conducted today.

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