Nevada: Off-Duty Pilot Steps in to Help Fly Southwest Airline's Plane After Pilot Becomes Ill

A Southwest Airlines pilot flying from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Columbus, Ohio, suffered a medical emergency, and a pilot from another airline, who was onboard, helped land the plane safely.

ABC 13 reported that the 47-year-old Southwest Airlines pilot is recovering after the terrifying incident. Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that the medical emergency involving the pilot forced the plane to turn around at Harry Reid International Airport and make an emergency landing.

In an audio recording from Air Traffic Control obtained by ABC News, the co-pilot can be heard saying that the pilot initially complained of stomach pain.

He noted that the pilot "fainted or became incapacitated" 60 seconds later but regained consciousness a minute after that. The co-pilot said the pilot was then taken into the cabin and given oxygen while flight attendants cared for him.

The Southwest Airlines noted that its pilot managed to land safely after another airline pilot, who was on board, entered the flight deck, and assisted with radio communication while the pilot flew the plane.

In a statement sent to ABC 13, Southwest Airlines said: "We commend the crew for their professionalism and appreciate our customers' patience and understanding regarding the situation."

Southwest Airlines Pilot 'Incapacitated'

In air traffic control audio obtained from LiveATC.net, the co-pilot can be heard saying that "the captain became incapacitated while en route" and they "need to get him on an ambulance immediately," Columbus Dispatch reported.

Data gathered by flight-tracking website FlightAware.com indicates the flight lasted roughly 1 hour and 17 minutes. The Southwest Airlines plane returned to Las Vegas without serious untoward incident.

The airline said a different crew took over and flew the aircraft to its destination. The nature of the medical problem that rendered the pilot unconscious was still unknown..

But according to Chris Perry, the airline's spokesperson, the pilot managed to walk off the plane with some help and was taken to a hospital. There were no other recorded injuries.

Federal Aviation Administration Issued Alerts Following Airline Incidents

After several high-profile near-collisions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).issued safety alerts on Wednesday, emphasizing the "need for ongoing vigilance and attention to mitigation of safety risks" among airlines, pilots, and others in the industry, The Independent reported.

The FAA noted that while the number of incidents and occurrences did not rise, the potential severity of these events was a cause for concern. After six catastrophic runway incursions since January, the agency held a safety summit last week.

The advisory urged businesses to review information gathered through safety management processes, identify hazards, expand and improve safety communications with personnel, and implement mitigations.

A runway incursion at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport involving an American Airlines plane and a near collision in February between FedEx and Southwest Airlines flights in Austin, Texas, is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A Southwest Airlines plane also reportedly came within feet of crashing into an ambulance crossing the runway as it took off from Baltimore's airport in another incident.

It was reported that an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) truck had crossed Runway 15R at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport without permission.

The Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737 aircraft, given clearance for departure from the same runway, narrowly missed the ambulance by "less than half the length of a football field."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Southwest Flight Forced to Land When Pilot Becomes Ill After Takeoff - From CBS Evening News