Air India pilot dies after suffering cardiac arrest; 3rd death of pilot in 3 months

PTC News Desk: An Air India pilot died after suffering a cardiac arrest at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. This is the third such incident in three months.

The emergency occurred on Level 3 of the Air India office, where fellow staff performed CPR on the captain, Himanil Kumar. He was later taken to a hospital, but he could not be saved.

"At about 11.35 hrs on 16.11.23 Air India Airlines Commander Himanil Kumar age about 37 years felt by cardio arrest at level 3 Air India office," the incident report stated, adding, "CPR was provided by Co-staff and immediately shifted to Medanta Medical Centre domestic arrival. Despite receiving CPR and first aid from a doctor, he remained in an unconscious condition. Later, Dr. Naveen declared him dead."

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Air India pilot was deemed medically fit, with no signs of fatigue, based on their medical report.

It is worth noting that the pilot returned to duty following the Diwali holiday.

"Captain Himanil Kumar underwent his medical on 23rd August 2023 and was declared fit, with his medical validity until 30th Aug'24. Further, there is no fatigue-related issue w.r.t flying duties. The pilot was undergoing his B777 full type transition, ground technical course from 03rd Oct 2023, converting from A320 type of aircraft," sources reported.

This is the third time a young pilot has died as a result of a cardiac arrest.

An IndiGo pilot collapsed at a Nagpur Airport boarding gate in August as he prepared to board a flight to Pune. He could not be saved despite receiving first aid and being rushed to a hospital.

The day before, an ex-SpiceJet captain, now with Qatar Airways, died while travelling from Delhi to Doha as a passenger.