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Newark, NJ - Passengers On Continental Flight Were Unaware Pilot Is Dead |
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Dr. Julien Struyven of Brussels talks to reporters about his efforts to save the life of a captain aboard Continental Flight 61 to Newark Liberty International Airport.
When flight attendants paged a doctor, he shrugged it off without guessing the truth: The pilot, 60-year-old Houstonian Craig Lenell, had died suddenly during the flight from Brussels. The co-pilot and a backup pilot who also was part of the crew guided the plane to a smooth landing in Newark, N.J.
Schapira, 54, of Brooklyn, didn’t suspect anything until he saw police waiting nearby as he left the plane. In the airport parking lot, he was swarmed by reporters.
“They said, ‘Did you hear about the pilot that died?’ ” Schapira said. “I said, ‘What? Never heard of it.’ ”
He’s glad the crew withheld the news during the eight-hour flight. He fears it would have brought pandemonium to an otherwise calm trip. Instead, flight personnel went about business normally, and he assumed the call for a doctor meant a crew member just wasn’t feeling well.
“The Bible tells you you’re not supposed to lie, but you don’t have to tell everything,” he said. “I still believe they made a very good choice not to tell the people. I feel there would have been such a commotion in that plane, it would have been unbearable.”
Continental officials say the passengers were never in danger.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires flights longer than eight hours to include a backup pilot, and flights longer than 12 hours to have two backups qualified to land the plane, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the agency’s southwest region.
Only the crew and the doctor who tried to help knew what was happening on board, even while the news spread on land before the flight touched down.
Dr. Julien Struyven, 72, a cardiologist and radiologist from Brussels, examined the pilot in the cockpit and tried to revive him using a defibrillator, the Associated Press reported. But it was too late.
“He was not alive,” said Struyven. There was “no chance at all” of saving him.
A heart attack was the likely cause of death, he said.
Continental said the captain had been with the airline 32 years. The Boeing 777, carrying 247 passengers, landed at 10:50 a.m. Houston time.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boarded the plane after it landed, standard procedure in such cases, said Steve Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport. Passengers were allowed off the jet, then a medical examiner removed Lenell’s body, Coleman said.
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Read Comments (19) — Post Yours »
1
Jun 19, 2009 at 11:04 AM bill Says:
what if kohanim were on board
2
Jun 19, 2009 at 11:03 AM Frequent Flyer Says:
I cant believe how much play this story is getting. There was never any danger to the people on board since overseas flight ALWAYS have replacement crew on board so the ones working the flight can rest. Anyone who has been on an overseas flight has seen the curtained area in the back of first or business class sections clearly marked that it it for the crew.
3
Jun 19, 2009 at 10:59 AM Anonymous Says:
what if kohanim were on board
4
Jun 19, 2009 at 12:14 PM Anonymous Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
its a goy a goy is not metamme!!!
5
Jun 19, 2009 at 12:13 PM Anon Says:
What difference does it make if kohanim were aboard? Even if the crew had told the psgrs., Kohanim were not expected to job out a door!
6
Jun 19, 2009 at 01:02 PM frequent flyer Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
they would have landed in EWR too!
what a really dumb question!
7
Jun 19, 2009 at 12:59 PM Anonymous Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
I thought th same but wat can they do, jump down mid flight. wat would happen if it was a dead passenger, kohanim really have to keep in mind there possibilities are likely to happen. guess they have to check halocho first. and not sure bout goy not being metamei.
8
Jun 19, 2009 at 12:55 PM Anonymous Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
What could a kohain have done? Nothing. The plane wouldnt land in the ocean or put people in danger.
9
Jun 19, 2009 at 01:41 PM Anonymous Says:
i feel they should have 2 pilots even for a less then 8 hour flight!!!
10
Jun 19, 2009 at 02:37 PM chaim Says:
i thimk the FAA should mandate cardboard boxes for use in case of death.
This would prevent any kohanim from becoming tamei.
the reason they didnt do the is pure anti-semitism
11
Jun 19, 2009 at 03:28 PM Anonymous Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
They would have to have jumped.
12
Jun 19, 2009 at 04:14 PM bigwheeel Says:
“ what if kohanim were on board
”
I don't know if you're asking about a fact or a hypothetical case in reference to the deceased! vd"l!!!
13
Jun 19, 2009 at 04:17 PM bigwheeel Says:
“ i feel they should have 2 pilots even for a less then 8 hour flight!!! ”
They have! The Captain and the First Officer, both of whom are qualified to fly and land the plane!!!
14
Jun 19, 2009 at 04:30 PM sweetheart Says:
“ i thimk the FAA should mandate cardboard boxes for use in case of death.
This would prevent any kohanim from becoming tamei.
the reason they didnt do the is pure anti-semitism ”
You got up on your left side. Y make that nasty comment unknowingly? That's crude of you.
15
Jun 19, 2009 at 04:30 PM Anonymous Says:
They ship dead bodies in the cargo section all the time I have senn it many times
16
Jun 19, 2009 at 02:01 PM Anonymous Says:
I'm sure the FAA would have understood having the plane stop at the nearest airport because of the possibility of a kohen being on board. Are you people for real???The discussions on these boards are beyon ridiculous.
17
Jun 19, 2009 at 07:11 PM Milhouse Says:
“ I thought th same but wat can they do, jump down mid flight. wat would happen if it was a dead passenger, kohanim really have to keep in mind there possibilities are likely to happen. guess they have to check halocho first. and not sure bout goy not being metamei. ”
The vast majority of flights do not involve anyone dying, or even being carried in the hold. Still less often is the deceased Jewish. It happens occasionally, but not so often that kohanim have to worry about it in advance. If it does happen, and the deceased is Jewish, then the kohanim must leave as soon as they can; jumping out mid-air is not an option, so they have no choice but to remain on the plane until it lands, and then in the airport until they can clear customs and immigration. But, knowing that there is a dead Jew under the same roof, they must not linger at the airport a second more than absolutely necessary.
And yes, a goy is not metame be'ohel.
18
Jun 21, 2009 at 03:14 AM i Says:
i think kohanim shouldnt fly at all in case the pilot might be jewish and he might die.. and just btw goyim are metamei always even when alive they r tomei like tumas zav
19
Jun 21, 2009 at 01:36 PM Milhouse Says:
“ i think kohanim shouldnt fly at all in case the pilot might be jewish and he might die.. and just btw goyim are metamei always even when alive they r tomei like tumas zav ”
What has that got to do with anything? Goyim are not metamei be'ohel.