Ill Pilot Forces Unexpected Landing For Miami-Bound Jet
NASHVILLE (CBSMiami.com) - An American Airlines jet bound from Chicago to Miami with 213 passengers aboard was forced to make an unexpected landing in Nashville Friday afternoon, after after one of the pilots on the jet became ill.
Flight 2050, a Boeing 777 jumbo jet, made an emergency landing Nashville International Airport at about 12:30p.m. central time. There were initial reports that one of the pilots had lost consciousness, but American Airlines spokesperson Dori Alvarez could not confirm that.
The plane carried 213 passengers and a crew of 10, including two pilots.
The plane landed without incident, and no passenger were injured. It was held in an area away from the airport, Alvarez said, because initially no gate large enough for the 777 could be found at the airport, which normally doesn't handle the jumbo jets. A gate was eventually found, and after the pilot was taken from the aircraft, the passengers were allowed to leave the plane.
The illness forced the airline to find a new 777 pilot for the plane and have him flown to Nashville.
Alvarez said the plane, which was supposed to land in Miami at 2:42 p.m., will continue on to it's destination with all passengers.It is now set to land at at about midnight, according the airline.
