An Air Canada flight from Newark, New Jersey, bound for Halifax, Canada, was forced to make an emergency landing at Boston Logan Airport yesterday after the pilot suffered a medical episode mid-flight.
A report from ABC News details the dramatic events on board the twin-turboprop de Havilland Dash 8-400, which had 61 passengers on board. The drama began at around 1:40 pm when the plane swerved sharply after takeoff. They quote passenger Rodney McDonald, traveling with his wife and two sons, as saying:
“The moment the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong because it was not turbulence. It really felt like someone had jilted the controls and then it happened over and over again. And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying. My boys instantly started praying.”
He then reported seeing the captain apparently suffering a seizure as he was dragged out of the cockpit by a flight attendant. McDonald offered his assistance:
“”Yeah, it was really horrifying. I was sitting in the front row, my family was from their back, just the way the seat arrangement worked out,. And I went back to sit with them and then realized that the pilot was out of control physically, not violently, like it was clear that he was not in control of his faculties and needed to be restrained.
[We] worked to get him under control, it was a fairly strenuous 40 minutes of keeping him down and using as many seatbelts as we could to restrain his legs, arms and chest.”
McDonald said a registered nurse on board also assisted during the emergency, and praised the flight attendants for keeping a cool head throughout, saying they “were stupendous. They stayed calm.”
“Not in control of his faculties”
The police and air traffic were informed of the situation, and an emergency landing was arranged in Boston, with a message declaring that “Pilot is incapacitated. Aircraft is being flown by the co-pilot”. The airport cleared runway 27 for “an inbound emergency”, with the co-pilot taking the controls and landing safely at around 2 pm.
Air Canada gave a statement to the NY Post emphasizing that protocols were followed to the letter:
“During the flight, the captain experienced a medical issue and was removed from the flight deck as per safety protocols. The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely.”
The flight departed Boston Logan on Wednesday evening and safely arrived in Halifax just before 09:30 local time. McDonald struck a relieved note about the journey: “We’re just grateful, grateful for how it all ended.”
Published: Jun 25, 2026 08:34 am