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| Date: | Tuesday 5 January 1999 |
| Time: | 18:00 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-436 |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways |
| Registration: | G-DOCM |
| MSN: | 25843/2244 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-3 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | Near London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL/EGHK) |
| London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was operating the service from Helsinki to London Gatwick with a flight deck crew of
two, an experienced Commander handling the aircraft from the left-hand seat and an inexperienced
First Officer in the right-hand seat. The departure from Helsinki had been in poor weather
demanding a high level of activity on the flight deck but the First Officer had performed
satisfactorily, despite having had a poor night's sleep. The subsequent flight was uneventful until
the aircraft commenced the descent to Gatwick from FL 270, at which point the Commander called
for the Descent Check List. The First Officer removed the check list from its stowage and tried to
read it. Although at this stage she looked normal, she was unable to read the check list sensibly and
uttered what the Commander described as 'gibberish'. After a few seconds, she suddenly twisted
violently in her seat and her body went ridged, causing her to apply a significant amount of rudder,
the effect of which was felt by those in the passenger cabin. The Commander immediately
disconnected the autopilot and centralised the rudder before calling for assistance from the cabin
crew and transmitting a MAYDAY call stating that his First Officer was incapacitated and
requesting a priority landing.
On arrival on the flight deck, the cabin crew administered oxygen to the First Officer while
attempting to remove her from her seat. Despite her slight build, they had considerable difficulty in
removing the now unconscious First Officer from her seat without interfering with the
Commander's, control of the aircraft, but eventually succeeded in removing her to the forward
galley area where she was placed in the recovery position and given first aid. There was no
response to a call to the passengers for a doctor.
Meanwhile, ATC had transferred the aircraft to a standby frequency and commenced a radar
vectored approach to Runway 26 at Gatwick. There was some delay in obtaining descent clearance
due to the Processed Radar Display System generating a spurious emergency transponder return
which indicated the presence of another aircraft in the vicinity of G-DOCM. Technical
investigations into the cause of the spurious transponder return indicate that this was an isolated
occurrence and is very unlikely to re-occur.
The Commander, who had elected to fly the approach without the assistance of a crew member in
the right-hand seat, completed the night landing without incident and shut the aircraft down clear of
the runway where it was met by the emergency services including a paramedic. The paramedic
boarded the aircraft and tended to the First Officer until an ambulance arrived some 20 minutes
after the aircraft landed. The First Officer was then transferred to hospital where she recovered after
several hours. Her medical condition is still being assessed
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ee4ded915d13710001dd/dft_avsafety_pdf_501775.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10842167 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Apr-2025 14:17 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 12-Apr-2025 14:18 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
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