A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Boston diverted to Detroit after the captain became ill and requested hospital treatment.
Flight DL437 on 25 August, operated by a Boeing 757-200 (reg. N707TW) with 147 passengers aboard, was about three and a half hours into its journey when the crew diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
In air traffic control recordings, the captain identified himself as the person requiring medical assistance:
“This is the captain. I am the one who is ill. I’m going to taxi the jet to the gate, and then I need to go to the hospital.”
The aircraft landed safely at approximately 17:30 local time. Airport firefighters and medical personnel met the flight, and the captain was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. His condition and the nature of his illness have not been disclosed.
The fact that he continued communicating and intended to taxi the aircraft suggests that he was ill but not completely incapacitated. It is likely that the first officer flew the approach and landing while the captain handled radio communications—normal cockpit task-sharing when one pilot is flying the aircraft.
Delta assigned a replacement crew, and the Boeing subsequently continued to Boston, arriving at approximately 21:04, around 90 minutes behind schedule. The airline apologised to passengers for the disruption.
The FAA confirmed that the flight diverted because of a crew-member medical emergency and landed without incident.
Sources: CBS News Boston, People.