A CAPT EXPERIENCED A SUBTLE INCAPACITATION WHILE AIRBORNE.

Narrative

ALL PREFLT DUTIES; PUSHBACK; TAXI OUT ACTIVITIES WERE NORMAL WITH CAPT X OCCUPYING THE L SEAT. INITIAL TKOF WAS NORMAL. ONCE AIRBORNE; CAPT X'S PERFORMANCE WAS AKIN TO ONE WHO DOES NOT GET TO FLY FREQUENTLY. HE WOULD TURN PAST AN ASSIGNED HDG BUT RECOGNITION AND CORRECTION WERE TIMELY. DURING THE ENRTE CLB; I HAD TO REMIND CAPT X TO RESET HIS ALTIMETER AT FL180 AS WELL AS INSIST THAT HE PARTICIPATE IN THE ALT AWARENESS PROCS. AFTER WE HAD REACHED CRUISE ALT; SMALL PORTIONS OF CAPT X'S SPEECH BECAME UNRECOGNIZABLE. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO BRING SOME ASPIRIN AND WATER TO THE COCKPIT. CAPT X OPENED THE ASPIRIN; TOOK THEM AND DRANK SOME WATER. AT THIS TIME I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND ADVISED CAPT X THAT I WOULD FLY THE REMAINDER OF THE LEG TO SYRACUSE. CAPT X AGREED. AS WE APCHED THE SYRACUSE TERMINAL AREA; I ASSUMED ALL FLT DECK DUTIES; HOWEVER; CAPT X'S ACTIONS INDICATED THAT HE WANTED TO PARTICIPATE. NOT WANTING TO CREATE A CONFRONTATIONAL ATMOSPHERE; I ASKED CAPT X TO GET THE ATIS AND HELP ME BY GETTING OUT THE APCH PLATE FOR SYR. THESE TASKS BECAME VERY DIFFICULT FOR CAPT X TO ACCOMPLISH. I CONTINUED TO CTL THE ACFT AND HAD CAPT X START THE APU PRIOR TO LNDG. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED ON RWY 28 AT SYR. I WAS ABLE TO TAXI TO THE GATE AREA USING RUDDER ONLY STEERING. CAPT X ASSISTED ME IN MAKING THE LAST TURN TO LINE UP WITH THE JETWAY. AS WE PARKED; CAPT X SET THE BRAKE; GAVE THE GND CREW THE PROPER HAND SIGNALS AS I SHUT DOWN THE ENGS. I ATTEMPTED TO TALK TO CAPT X; BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO RESPOND INTELLIGENTLY. I HELPED HIM PUT ON HIS OXYGEN MASK AND HAD A FLT ATTENDANT STAY WITH CAPT X WHILE I CALLED THE PARAMEDICS AND THEN WENT INSIDE TO NOTIFY THE COMPANY OF THE PROB. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE ACFT; THE PARAMEDICS WERE ATTENDING TO CAPT X ON THE GALLEY FLOOR. I WAS ADVISED THAT CAPT X HAD SUFFERED A SEIZURE. THE PARAMEDICS THEN REMOVED CAPT X FROM THE ACFT AND TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT SAYS THAT CAPT X IS 'OK NOW; BUT DOESN'T HAVE HIS MEDICAL BACK.' X IS WORKING IN THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE IN BOS. HE EXPECTS TO GET HIS MEDICAL BACK IN ABOUT A YR. THE PROB IS ENCEPHALITIS; A SWELLING OF THE TISSUE AROUND THE BRAIN THAT CAN BE CTLED WITH DRUGS. CAPT X IS 57. THE INCAPACITATION WAS VERY SUBTLE; WITH CAPT X GOING INTO AND OUT OF COMPLETE NORMAL STATE PERIODICALLY. HE WANTED TO 'HELP' WITH THE FLYING WHEN HE WAS NOT LUCID. EACH TIME THAT A FLT ATTENDANT WAS IN THE COCKPIT TO HELP THE RPTR; CAPT X WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL. THE RPTR WISHES THAT IT HAD BEEN A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE INCAPACITATION AS THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER TO RECOGNIZE AND THEREFORE TO DEAL WITH.