What happened
Immediately following a hard landing, the co-pilot and flight engineer observed that the captain was incapacitated. The co-pilot assumed control of the aircraft and guided it onto a high-speed taxiway. With assistance from a flight attendant and the flight engineer manipulating the nose wheel steering, the airplane was taxied safely to the gate.
The investigation
The captain was found to have died of myocardial infarction. An autopsy revealed severe occlusive arteriosclerotic disease of several coronary arteries. The pilot had a long history of hypertension and gout, which had been under control until 18 months before the incident when a stress test was abnormal.
Findings
The pilot did not receive the recommended follow-up care and failed to report this problem on his two subsequent applications for Class 1 medical certificates. On these applications, he falsely indicated that he was on an FAA-approved health maintenance program administered by American Airlines.