Saudi Arabian Airlines Captain Dies Midflight, Co-Pilot Lands Plane

In a terrifying incident Wednesday, a Saudi Arabian Airlines pilot died in the cockpit midflight after suffering a massive heart attack.

According to Siobhan McFadyen of The Mirror, around 220 people were on Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight SV 1734 when the captain of the plane, Waleed bin Mohammed Al-Mohammed, suffered a heart attack and died in the cockpit.

The plane was en route from Bisha Domestic Airport to King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia when the co-pilot notified airport officials that the captain had passed out at the controls.

After declaring an emergency, co-pilot Rami Ben Ghazi managed to finish the flight and land the plane safely, earning himself praise from Saudi Arabian Airlines Director Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Jasser and the entire company.

Medical crews were on the scene when the plane landed successfully, but it was revealed that the flight crew did not notify the passengers about the captain’s death until after the plane was safely on the ground.

Saudi Arabian Airlines issued a statement saying that the passengers on the flight were never in any real danger, and that the company was sending its best wishes to the family, friends and colleagues of Al-Mohammed.