On Monday, July 29, 2024, a woman unexpectedly died mid-flight, resulting in shock among her fellow passengers. This tragic event occurred during a Virgin Australia flight originating from Brisbane and heading to Melbourne. The medical crisis took place around 9:30 a.m., leading the flight crew to spring into action.
The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, suddenly collapsed on Flight VA308 that had taken off from Brisbane early that morning. The flight crew promptly initiated CPR in response to the situation.
A spokesperson for Virgin Australia confirmed the on-board medical emergency on Flight VA308. “Medical experts onboard assisted cabin crew before paramedics met the aircraft in Melbourne. The passenger was taken off the aircraft but unfortunately later passed away,” the spokesperson stated.
The pilot of the aircraft liaised with air traffic control to secure a priority landing at Tullamarine Airport, Victoria, Australia. The plane touched down around 10:15 a.m., where emergency services were prepared and waiting to provide assistance.
Upon arrival, paramedics attended to the woman without delay, moving her to a waiting ambulance. Despite their best efforts, the woman could not be revived and was declared dead shortly after being removed from the plane.
The death has been declared as non-suspicious by the Victoria Police. A coroner’s report is presently being compiled to ascertain the exact cause of death. This incident has sparked concerns among passengers and airline personnel about sudden medical emergencies during flights.
This unfortunate event follows a similar incident two months prior when a 73-year-old British man, Geoffrey Kitchen, died due to severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London. Kitchen reportedly suffered a suspected heart attack when the aircraft experienced a significant drop mid-flight.
In another related incident in June, an eight-year-old girl passed away on a SkyWest Airlines flight to Chicago after becoming unresponsive due to a medical emergency. Earlier in the year, in January, a passenger on a Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Manchester died mid-flight, leading to an emergency landing in Cork, Ireland.
Despite having measures in place to handle medical emergencies, the aviation industry is often challenged by the unpredictable nature of such incidents. This underlines the importance of passengers informing airlines about their health conditions prior to flying, and the need for preparedness among flight crews.