The aviation industry is in mourning after the sudden death of a third pilot in less than a week. On August 17, 2023, an IndiGo pilot scheduled to operate a flight from Nagpur’s Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (NAG) to Pune Airport (PNQ) collapsed and died at the airport boarding gate. The 40-year-old pilot was seen by medics immediately, and was given CPR and rushed to the hospital, but was duly pronounced dead.
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“We are saddened at the passing of one of our pilots in Nagpur. He took unwell at Nagpur airport and was rushed to the hospital where he unfortunately passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones,” an IndiGo spokesperson said, as reported by The Hindustan Times.
Preliminary reports say that the pilot, identified as Manoj Balasubramani, died due to “sudden cardiac arrest”. Pilot and flight crew communities are growing concerned over the dangers of pilot fatigue. Balasubramani is the third pilot to die during a flight in a span of less than a week. On August 14, 2023, a pilot from LATAM died while on a flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Santiago de Chile Airport (SCL). On August 16, 2023, an off-duty Qatar Airways pilot died onboard a flight to Doha on which he was traveling as a passenger.