Incident
Immediately after a hard landing, the captain was observed by the copilot and flight engineer to be incapacitated. The copilot took control of the airplane and guided it onto a high-speed taxiway. With the assistance of a flight attendant and the flight engineer manipulating the nose wheel steering, the airplane was taxied safely to the gate.
Medical Findings
The captain was found to have died of myocardial infarction. The autopsy revealed severe occlusive atherosclerotic disease of several coronary arteries.
Background
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. 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.