Flight attendant saves the day

In January, an Air Canada co-pilot had a mental breakdown and was forcibly removed from the cockpit, forcing a flight attendant to assist in making the emergency landing. An Irish Investigation concluded in November and was detailed in an article entitled, “Report: Co-pilot had breakdown, flight attendant helped land jet” (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/19/pilot.breakdown.ap/index.html). The co-pilot was not in good professional shape on the day of the flight and his conditioned only worsened during the flight. He was forcibly removed from the cockpit by several flight attendants, one of which was injured in the process, and sedated by two doctors onboard. The flight attendants then asked if any of the passenger’s was a qualified pilot. None responded and only at this point did one of the flight attendants admit she had a commercial pilot’s license and she assisted in landing the aircraft. This shows the topic of diffusion of responsibility on the part of the flight attendant. She assumed someone else would step up and handle the problem when the co-pilot became unable to fly the jet. When there was absolutely no one else available, all of the responsibility rested on her and she helped land the aircraft. This situation fits into multiple studies showing people’s tendency to help. When a person is with others who are capable of helping, they are less likely to offer assistance than when they alone have the opportunity to help.