Floored

Floored: Once I was northbound to LaGuardia and about to start my descent when a call came from the back. It was a medical situation; an older man with heart issues was lying in the aisle in the aft section. The flight attendants were administering oxygen and calling for any onboard physicians.  Rather than a heart attack, it was a previously weakened heart having trouble keeping up, I guessed the beginnings of congestive heart failure. Doctors confirmed my suspicions that he was stable, but should remain in his current reclined position. I was abeam Baltimore, but reasoned that it was no closer than LaGuardia in terms of time. Diverting would mean disruption for everybody and, I rationalized, the confusion and surprise factor might actually delay getting him to better care, so we continued toward LGA. The FAA rules require everybody to be wearing seatbelts during landing, but the pilot in command can break any rule using his emergency authority. So, for that reason, I declared an emergency and landed with him on the floor. Doing so did part the waters, so to speak; all routine delays were absent during our descent, approach, and taxi to the gate. An ambulance was waiting, and the man was whisked away. Subsequently I learned that my company would award frequent flyer miles to physicians who assist in those situations, but I didn’t get enough information to make it happen. I still feel bad about that. My next chance to get this doctor-perk was a couple years later, after 9/11, when ridership was way down and the solvency of the company was seriously in question; they had stopped giving anything away.