时事新闻:机长飞行途中死亡 替补飞行员安全降落

Backups Land Jet Safely After Pilot Dies

A first officer and relief pilot safely landed a Continental Airlines Inc. jetliner Thursday at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, hours after the pilot of the Boeing 777 died midflight en route from Brussels.

The 60-year-old pilot, a 32-year Continental veteran based in Newark, is believed to have died of natural causes, the airline said. The flight, which had departed at 9:54 a.m. local time in Belgium, carried 247 passengers, 12 flight attendants and the three aviators.

People familiar with the flight's trajectory said the captain fell ill and a relief pilot took the controls as the aircraft was over the North Atlantic and approaching the coast of Canada.

To ensure flight safety in the event a pilot becomes incapacitated, Federal Aviation Administration rules require any flight longer than eight hours to carry a relief pilot in addition to the aircraft's captain and first officer, who also is trained to command the cockpit. Flights exceeding 12 hours are required to carry two relief pilots.

Continental declined to disclose the identity of the pilot or whether he had had any previous health problems. Under FAA rules, airline captains over the age of 40 must pass medical examinations once every six months and younger captains once a year.

Julien Struyven, a cardiologist from Brussels who was aboard the flight, said the pilot was already dead by the time he reported to the cockpit in response to a crew request for medical help. 'We were going to try to revive him, but it was already too late,' Dr. Struyven said shortly after landing. The stricken pilot, he added, didn't respond to jolts from a defibrillator.

Because events were confined to the cockpit, other passengers had no idea anything serious had happened until the aircraft touched down in New Jersey at 11:49 a.m., 11 minutes ahead of schedule. Despite the crew's call for a doctor, several passengers said, there were no other unusual signs until the plane was met by firetrucks and other emergency vehicles when it landed.

'We thought there was some sort of emergency drill happening,' said Laura McDermott, a New Jersey resident traveling with her husband and two children.

Some passengers said they were relieved the crew didn't mention the pilot's death while in the air. 'It was probably better that way,' said Susan Morgan, a passenger from Houston. 'People would have panicked if they had told us.'

Paulo Prada / Chris Herring

周四，从布鲁塞尔出发的一架大陆航空公司(Continental Airlines Inc.)波音777客机机长在飞行途中死亡，副机长和换班飞行员驾驶这架飞机降落在新泽西州纽瓦克自由国际机场。

大陆航空公司称，身故机长现年60岁，在大陆航空公司任职32年，据信为自然死亡。这架飞机于比利时当地时间上午9点54分起飞，机上载有247名乘客，12名空服人员和上述三位飞行员。

了解这班飞机航程的人士说，在飞机飞越北大西洋，接近加拿大海岸线时，机长感觉不适，由换班飞行员负责操纵。

为了在飞行员无法继续驾驶的情况下确保飞行安全，美国航空管理局(Federal Aviation Administration)规定，任何飞行时间在8小时以上的航班除正副机长外还应有一名换班飞行员，换班飞行员也受过训练，能驾驶飞机。飞行时间超过12小时的航班要有两名换班飞行员。

大陆航空拒绝透露死亡飞行员的身份，或是他此前是否有健康问题。按照美国航空管理局的规定，年龄在40岁以上的机长必须每半年体检一次，不到40岁的机长每年体检一次。

来自布鲁塞尔的心脏病专家斯图文(Julien Struyven)当时在航班上。他说，他响应机组人员请求前往驾驶舱进行医疗协助时，机长已经死亡。斯图文在飞机着陆后不久说，我们试图救醒他，但已经太迟了。他补充说，出事的飞行员对心律去颤器的电击没有反应。

由于驾驶舱封闭，其他乘客丝毫不知道发生了严重事故，直到飞机于当地时间上午11点49分降落在纽瓦克机场，比原定时间早了11分钟。有几名乘客说，虽然机组成员曾呼叫医生，但没有其他的反常迹象，直到飞机降落后被消防车和其他急救车辆包围。

跟丈夫和两个孩子一起旅行的新泽西居民麦克德莫特(Laura McDermott)说，我们还以为是紧急情况演习。

一些乘客表示，机组人员在飞行过程中没有提及飞行员的死让他们松了口气。来自休斯顿的乘客摩根(Susan Morgan)说，这样可能更好，如果他们告诉我们发生了什么事，人们可能会恐慌。

trajectory n. 轨道,弹道,轨线

The missile deflected from its trajectory.
导弹已偏离轨道.

incapacitate v. 使不能,使不适于 vt. 使不能

A device or substance, such as tear gas, used to incapacitate individuals temporarily, as in riot control.
致残剂一种可使人暂时致残的装置或物质，如平定暴乱时所用的催泪瓦斯

cockpit n. (飞行员等的)座舱,(赛车)驾驶座

Seated in the cockpit, the pilot of a plane has a lot of controls at his fingertips.
在飞机驾驶舱中，驾驶员一伸手就可触及许多操纵装置。

cardiologist n. 心脏病学家

defibrillator n. 电震发生器

panic n. 恐慌,惊惶 adj. 惊慌的,没有理由的,恐慌的 v. 使...惊慌

The crowd panicked at the sound of the explosion.
爆炸声一响，人群便惊慌起来。

decline to 拒绝

He declined to answer this question. 他拒绝回答这个问题。

in response to adj. 回答(响应)

In response to your inquiry...
兹答覆您的询问...
In response to their hospitality, we wrote a thank-you note.
为回报他们的热情, 我们写了一封感谢信。