SAS Flight Diverts to Brussels After A Pilot Incapacitation

STOCKHOLM- A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) to Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC) diverts to Brussels Airport (BRU) following in-flight pilot incapacitation.

The Airbus A320-200, operating as flight SK4671, experienced an emergency mid-cruise, prompting an immediate and unscheduled landing in Belgium.

The diversion resulted in a delay of over five hours for passengers, as a relief crew had to be flown in from Oslo. The aircraft eventually reached Alicante (ALC) just before 2 AM, significantly behind its scheduled arrival time.

Photo- Colin Cooke
Wikimedia Commons

SAS Flight Diverts

Flight SK4671, operated by Scandinavian Airlines (SK), departed from Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) en route to Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC), a popular destination in southeastern Spain.

The regularly scheduled service, typically flown five times a week, was being operated by an 18-year-old Airbus A320-200 registered OY-KAU.

According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft took off at 16:18 local time, close to its scheduled departure of 16:10.

While cruising at 39,000 feet, approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Brussels (BRU), one of the pilots became incapacitated.

The situation necessitated an immediate diversion, and the aircraft landed safely at Brussels Airport (BRU) at 18:08 local time.

Photo: By BriYYZ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/40563877@N00/49510100306/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87410253

Crew Dispatched Amid Delay

With the pilot unfit to continue, Scandinavian Airlines arranged for a replacement crew to be sent to Brussels.

A separate SAS flight, SK4745, was utilized to transport the relief team, but it too experienced delays. Originally scheduled to land at 20:55, SK4745 arrived at 22:21, almost 90 minutes late.

As a result, the grounded Airbus A320-200 could not depart until 23:52. The aircraft finally arrived in Alicante at 01:40 local time, nearly six hours behind schedule.

The delay forced SAS to cancel the return leg to Oslo. Reported by Simple Flying, an SAS spokesperson stated:

Photo- Ardfern; Wikimedia Commons

Aircraft Status and Service

Despite the incident, the aircraft involved did not suffer any technical fault and resumed operations the next day. Flightradar24 indicated that OY-KAU was repositioning from Alicante to Oslo as flight SK6371 by the following afternoon.

The Airbus A320-200, bearing the name Hjorvard Viking, first flew in August 2007 and entered service with Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo under the registration VT-INL.

It was transferred to SAS in October 2013 and is currently one of five A320s in the airline’s fleet, which serves as the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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