History of Flight
The crew reported for duty at 1005 hours. After schedule changes, the aircraft departed Gatwick for Jersey at 1740 hours. The first officer was handling pilot. At 1801 hours, the aircraft was transferred to Jersey Zone, where RVR on Runway 09 was above 1500 metres. By 1811 hours, RVR had dropped below the required 800 metre minima, prompting a hold. The commander made several approach attempts as RVR fluctuated, but conditions deteriorated. At 1847 hours, he decided to divert to Gatwick with 1,160 lb of fuel remaining.
At 1900 hours, the commander contacted London Area Control and was told of 30-35 minute delays at Gatwick. He requested priority landing. The controller suggested declaring an emergency for priority, which the commander did at 1905 hours. The first officer expressed reservations, preferring Southampton due to better weather and less fuel criticality.
At 1920 hours, the commander asked about delays and was told they still exceeded 20 minutes. He then considered going to Southampton. Shortly after, while speaking to company operations, the first officer noticed the commander slumped in his seat, unresponsive, with beads of sweat on his forehead. The first officer shook his arm but got no response.
At about 1926 hours, the first officer transmitted that the commander was unwell but they wished to continue to Gatwick. The commander recovered at about 1927 hours, initially animated and confused, then resumed as non-handling pilot. The crew performed a standard Category 2 approach; the commander took control at decision height and landed normally at 1938 hours.
Fuel Planning
Company policy defined Company Minimum Reserve (CMR) and Final Reserve Fuel (FRF). For the ATR72, standard holding fuel was 350 kg and FRF was 450 kg. Before departure from Gatwick, fuel on board was 1,870 kg; required for the sector was 1,395 kg. At diversion decision (1847 hrs), fuel was 1,160 kg. Diversion fuel to Gatwick was calculated as 450 kg (including 5% contingency). CMR was 800 kg (450 + 350), leaving 360 kg extra (about 45 minutes hold).
At about 1900 hours, the commander calculated fuel remaining as 930 kg, with fuel to Gatwick 240 kg, leaving 690 kg overhead. To land with FRF (450 kg), holding time was about 30 minutes. He also calculated diversion to Southampton, with CMR of 605 kg (255 kg diversion fuel plus 350 kg hold), leaving 85 kg available to hold.
Crew Incapacitation
The commander's incapacitation lasted about one minute. The first officer took control and communicated with ATC. After recovery, the commander appeared fully functional and completed the landing. A Local Standby was initiated; the AFS attended but the commander declined medical examination. Both crew were interviewed by Airport Police.
Meteorology
Conditions included low visibility and fog. RVR at Jersey fluctuated between 350 and 1500 metres. Gatwick had low visibility procedures in effect with mist and overcast cloud at 100 feet.