Narrative:

I was the PNF when the captain felt ill. H east said he was going to vomit and wanted me to have the flight attendant bring up a sick sack. I had a trash bag behind my seat and gave it to him. He xferred control of the aircraft to me and tried to vomit. He rested back in his seat for 2 or 3 mins then asked me to call the flight attendant up front because he didn't know what was happening. I pressed the call button and he said, 'use the emergency.' I had her come up front and he told her he might be having a heart attack. She assisted him with his oxygen and I declared an emergency. She got him some wet towels for his head because he was sweating a lot. At first I told ATC we had a passenger on board with a possible heart attack. They cleared me direct the airport and down to 11000 ft without a speed restr that they had given us earlier. I realized what I said and gave ZID a more accurate description of what our emergency was. I told them the passenger was our captain and that I would have difficulty steering the aircraft once on the ground. They asked if they should notify our operations and I said yes. The flight attendant took care of the captain until 3 mins prior to landing when I had her prepare for landing and get seated. We were cleared for the visual and cleared to land on runway 18R. I stopped the aircraft on the runway, shut down the #1 engine and the flight attendant opened the main door to allow the paramedics on board. They took the captain off. I let the passenger know we had a medical emergency and were working on how to get them to the gate. I was in contact with cvg operations who were on the phone with dispatch to determine if it was ok for me to taxi the aircraft to the gate or if we needed to make other arrangements. I was told it was ok for me to taxi in if I felt ok about it. I did, and felt it would be safer to keep the passenger on board during a normal taxi to the gate. I received clearance from tower to taxi left and taxiway J and left on taxiway D to the gate. I parked the aircraft and deplaned the passenger by jetbridge. It turned out the pilot had a blood sugar count of 35 and was taken to the hospital. They didn't find anything else wrong with him, but kept him overnight for observation. A possible factor in the cause of his condition was that he returned the previous day from europe where he spent a week on military duty. The company junior manned him on his day off to do this trip and he had to drive into chicago from around detroit. I don't know what he ate that day, but I didn't see him eat anything except coffee (I think it was). I was probably in the wrong to taxi the aircraft because the emergency was over when the captain was off the aircraft with the paramedics. According to company policy, FARS and a liability standpoint, my first priority was to get the captain on the ground where he could get medical attention and second was to get my passenger safely to the gate. If it would ever happen again, I would have the company either tow the aircraft to the gate or arrange for stairs and a bus for the passenger. At the time I felt it was ok because I had the permission of the company and because in an emergency you could deviate from any FARS.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF AN MLG BECAME SEVERELY ILL WHILE DSNDING TO DEST RESULTING IN THE FO TAKING OVER ACFT CTL, DECLARING AN EMER AND THE CABIN ATTENDANT GIVING OXYGEN TO THE CAPT.

Narrative: I WAS THE PNF WHEN THE CAPT FELT ILL. H E SAID HE WAS GOING TO VOMIT AND WANTED ME TO HAVE THE FLT ATTENDANT BRING UP A SICK SACK. I HAD A TRASH BAG BEHIND MY SEAT AND GAVE IT TO HIM. HE XFERRED CTL OF THE ACFT TO ME AND TRIED TO VOMIT. HE RESTED BACK IN HIS SEAT FOR 2 OR 3 MINS THEN ASKED ME TO CALL THE FLT ATTENDANT UP FRONT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I PRESSED THE CALL BUTTON AND HE SAID, 'USE THE EMER.' I HAD HER COME UP FRONT AND HE TOLD HER HE MIGHT BE HAVING A HEART ATTACK. SHE ASSISTED HIM WITH HIS OXYGEN AND I DECLARED AN EMER. SHE GOT HIM SOME WET TOWELS FOR HIS HEAD BECAUSE HE WAS SWEATING A LOT. AT FIRST I TOLD ATC WE HAD A PAX ON BOARD WITH A POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK. THEY CLRED ME DIRECT THE ARPT AND DOWN TO 11000 FT WITHOUT A SPD RESTR THAT THEY HAD GIVEN US EARLIER. I REALIZED WHAT I SAID AND GAVE ZID A MORE ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT OUR EMER WAS. I TOLD THEM THE PAX WAS OUR CAPT AND THAT I WOULD HAVE DIFFICULTY STEERING THE ACFT ONCE ON THE GND. THEY ASKED IF THEY SHOULD NOTIFY OUR OPS AND I SAID YES. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOOK CARE OF THE CAPT UNTIL 3 MINS PRIOR TO LNDG WHEN I HAD HER PREPARE FOR LNDG AND GET SEATED. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL AND CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 18R. I STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE RWY, SHUT DOWN THE #1 ENG AND THE FLT ATTENDANT OPENED THE MAIN DOOR TO ALLOW THE PARAMEDICS ON BOARD. THEY TOOK THE CAPT OFF. I LET THE PAX KNOW WE HAD A MEDICAL EMER AND WERE WORKING ON HOW TO GET THEM TO THE GATE. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH CVG OPS WHO WERE ON THE PHONE WITH DISPATCH TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS OK FOR ME TO TAXI THE ACFT TO THE GATE OR IF WE NEEDED TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. I WAS TOLD IT WAS OK FOR ME TO TAXI IN IF I FELT OK ABOUT IT. I DID, AND FELT IT WOULD BE SAFER TO KEEP THE PAX ON BOARD DURING A NORMAL TAXI TO THE GATE. I RECEIVED CLRNC FROM TWR TO TAXI L AND TXWY J AND L ON TXWY D TO THE GATE. I PARKED THE ACFT AND DEPLANED THE PAX BY JETBRIDGE. IT TURNED OUT THE PLT HAD A BLOOD SUGAR COUNT OF 35 AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING ELSE WRONG WITH HIM, BUT KEPT HIM OVERNIGHT FOR OBSERVATION. A POSSIBLE FACTOR IN THE CAUSE OF HIS CONDITION WAS THAT HE RETURNED THE PREVIOUS DAY FROM EUROPE WHERE HE SPENT A WK ON MIL DUTY. THE COMPANY JUNIOR MANNED HIM ON HIS DAY OFF TO DO THIS TRIP AND HE HAD TO DRIVE INTO CHICAGO FROM AROUND DETROIT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE ATE THAT DAY, BUT I DIDN'T SEE HIM EAT ANYTHING EXCEPT COFFEE (I THINK IT WAS). I WAS PROBABLY IN THE WRONG TO TAXI THE ACFT BECAUSE THE EMER WAS OVER WHEN THE CAPT WAS OFF THE ACFT WITH THE PARAMEDICS. ACCORDING TO COMPANY POLICY, FARS AND A LIABILITY STANDPOINT, MY FIRST PRIORITY WAS TO GET THE CAPT ON THE GND WHERE HE COULD GET MEDICAL ATTN AND SECOND WAS TO GET MY PAX SAFELY TO THE GATE. IF IT WOULD EVER HAPPEN AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE THE COMPANY EITHER TOW THE ACFT TO THE GATE OR ARRANGE FOR STAIRS AND A BUS FOR THE PAX. AT THE TIME I FELT IT WAS OK BECAUSE I HAD THE PERMISSION OF THE COMPANY AND BECAUSE IN AN EMER YOU COULD DEVIATE FROM ANY FARS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.