Delta may not be running passenger flights on the Boeing 777, but continues to run cargo flights, including on some unusual routes. One flight, however, made a very unusual landing after a pilot became incapacitated.
Last Thursday, Delta 3343, operating a cargo sector from Frankfurt (FRA) to Chicago (ORD), was traveling at 40,000 feet over New Brunswick, Canada when the first officer suddenly became incapacitated.
Even on Delta cargo flights there is an extra relief pilot onboard. The captain summoned the relief pilot. Together they tended to the incapacitated first officer, providing first aid and eventually utilizing an external defibrillator. The first officer was stabilized.
Moncton, New Brunswick (YQM) was the closest major airport and the flight diverted so that the first officer could be taken to a hospital. Upon landing, the first officer was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The condition of the first officer is still unknown.
Via FlightAware:
The 777-200 was registered under N702DN. Note the rapid descent.
CONCLUSION
I am thankful that an external defibrillator was onboard…it may have saved the first officer’s life. It’s also worth noting that Delta 777s continue to operate in a cargo capacity, which suggests Delta will have little trouble selling its fleet later in the year. With Delta cancelling the acquisition of some A350s today, perhaps some 777s may even stick around…
Delta will have a hard time selling the 777-200s for cargo operations because there exists no P2F conversion programme on the -200, just the -300. Unless something changes they’ll likely be sold for parts only, if at all.
Well from my intel is that FedEx is already interested in the 200’s.
AA is also parking it’s A330 fleet and staying with it’s tried and true 777 fleet! We will see. I don’t see them being parted out!
I’m not certain where you received your information, but one thing is for certain…
Delta is saying good-bye to the B-777, but Delta just reaffirmed their commitment to maintain their orders for the A-350-900’s & it remains Delta’s Flagship. The only route that will need to be modified is the ATL to JNB run. It will be modified to include Cape Town for its return to ATL. The route will be ATL-JNB- CPT…. This is much better for Delta since CPT is a very popular tourist attraction. With the impending failure of Virgin Australia, I’m hoping Melbourne will also be added. I fly Delta to Australia & South Africa regularly.
That will be a great TMAAT for those pilots at their UPS interview!
TMAAT????
“Tell me about a time”. Situation-based interview technique.
I have a question for people who know planes of 40 yrs ago better than I do. As a teenager in Houston around 1976, I flew Hobby to Love and back frequently to visit family, and I flew on the cheap “peanut fares” airlines, none of which have survived. Engines at rear, Mostly MD 80s and a rear engine Boeing. Today the numerous missing rivets on the wings would Horrify & Alarm me, but what’s a kid to think, my parents drove old cars. Once though I recall clear fluid cascading over more than half of the rt wing, from taxi at Hobby to at least halfway to Love field, and being a Houston kid, I assumed it was retained rainwater, though it hadn’t rained that day. Yikes!! I can’t imagine a wing design which would allow for water buildup on a leading wing edge. (?)
Also, one day I was on a Ft Worth frwy with a friend and we saw, off to the northeast a (not uncommon for N TX.) very, very,very dark thunderstorm about 40 miles off. We both remarked that it was near DFW and that surely no one would fly into THAT!!
We learned about windshear in the weeks following the crash of fight 191, and my question is, was DFW just too cheap to buy Doppler radar, as local gossip I recall implied? I remember hearing an Air Force friend remark that planes in trouble routinely landed at Carswell because local airports didn’t see a reason to buy foam since the Air Force always had it.
I would not count Delta out being in an experimental mode with cargo. While it may not involve the 777’s over the long term they might be on to something. Delta has never shied away from little niche areas. They had (might still have I am not sure) a division that did private jet bookings (A Net Jets if you will) and have been pretty lucrative in charters for sports teams.
If you look around the world a significant portion of the global carriers have cargo divisions with exclusive cargo operations and aircraft. Lufthansa, LATAM, Korean, Singapore, etc. Why has no U.S. passenger carrier used their logistics, aircraft, and infrastructure to do the same? Seems like an easy option to, at the very least, test the waters so as to find opportunity in these crazy times.
Well Delta United and AA all flew cargo only pax routes during the last 2 months. It wasn’t experimental, it was survival! We as a nation still needed to move product for our GDP. As well as freight contracts and needs for this country! Pax airlines for years all around the world fly freight with passengers! Just now this was the way to keep revenue and keep pilots working!
Sure, but prior to Covid the freight industry was seeing significant shortages in aircraft and pilots. This was expected to come to a peak in 2022. Covid has, in some ways, relieved that shortage – BUT, the amount of cargo now is dramatically increasing. And it’s not just medical supplies.
A friend of mine who works for a large computer company is in charge of logistics for moving parts by plane to assembly factories. It was tough enough before to secure a dedicated aircraft. Now it’s become nightmarish as more goods are being moved around than ever before. Bidding wars are ensuing and he has had freight sitting for weeks waiting for availability. I doubt this is going away. No more than Amazon or Walmart are.
So, why not a carrier like Delta seeing an interesting opportunity in this for continued development and a niche division like we see at Lufthansa etc. They could offer new positions to furloughed pilots at “Delta Logistics” and have a home for parked 777’s and, especially, 767’s. They also would be able to generate immediate cash as they wait for the 2-3 years it will require for passenger levels to return to where they were.
Where there is chaos there is opportunity.