Retnox, I pinned your comment so people can see the correction at the top of the comments. I don't want to show like that pilot was thinking it all was a comedy. that was my caption mistake so sorry and thanks for correcting.
No ATC should be alone while working. This highlights the issue. Hope she recovered and thank goodness someone took note of the severity of the issue. Well done that pilot.
Unsure. I remember when this first came out. There was some speculation as to the nature of what caused her to become incapacitated. Last I remember is an article stating two things. One, that an ATC resigned and, two, that there will no longer be a time where there is a single ATC left alone in the control room. No matter how many are on duty, if memory serves me.
@@Bl4ckw0lf1 Thats great and all, but its more the fact that its already in the regulations. There shouldn't, and by having one ATC they were ignoring the rules already in place.
That hot mic moment near the end, when she was choking. The guy walks in the room and asks if she's ok. I didn't she could even reply and he ran over and checked her. A few seconds later and he found the hot mic and let go of the button. Imagine if he hadn't walked in then.. she was dying! Poor woman. How was she the only one, at LAS VEGAS? She was tower and ground? Hard to believe any airport of that size would only have 1 controller at any time of their operations, regardless if it was a slow period. No redundancy at all, and it's just as important as an airplane having 2 pilots. Just as important as a flight attendant occupying the cockpit when a pilot goes pee. They never leave them alone. Yet we have this controller responsible for hundreds of lives at that time and she was alone?!?! She nearly DIED! GOD I can't imagine if it had gone on a few minutes longer. All those pilots would have heard her take her last breath. I'm glad they all called their companies/ops centers and had someone go check. They saved her life.
@@JackHudler Unbelievable that there was no live microphone into the tower! Ridiculous. They should have one so her co-worker could hear her. I'd at least carry a wireless headset tuned to the tower frequency to hear the conversations in the background while on break. Something tells me this airport is woefully underfunded...
Totally agree. Imagine knowing that if you make a single mistake it could mean disaster. Imagine feeling something is not right and things doesn't add up. Must be horrible. I hope this fighting lady made a full recovery.
It's very possible she didn't realize anything was wrong....My father in law was doing this, we got him to hospital....later he said he didn't think anything was wrong with him. That he thought he was replying perfectly fine.....which is the SCARY thing about strokes!
Its a stroke in real time. Heart breaking but from a medical stand point highly illuminating. My question though, was she working alone? Where were her co workers? This dont seem like it should be a loner job to me for this very reason. Anything can happen. I know id want back up
@@ATSucks1 It wasn't a stroke. She was on drugs and was fired. After she sent threats and a nationwide notice was sent that she is not allowed on federal property.
@@mortson978 The FAA doesn't issue one of these after someone has a stroke and their location is in the hospital. Also, notice how the FAA just swept this all under the rug?
@@MiniMaxiSlots I would agree, if you could show that such a notice exists. I've looked, and all I could find is speculation. I'm not just gonna take your word for it.
It is incomprehensible that a busy airport with such a complicated runway/taxiway structure was under the control of just one person. This is cost cutting at it's extreme.
It’s not rlly cost cutting afaik. The job is extremely extremely stressful and tiring as you often have 10 hour shifts sometimes 6 days a week due to the lack of people. You have to be able to keep awareness of literally dozens and hundreds of things at once while also making sure u don’t direct a plane into another plane and kill hundreds. Most don’t last at these type of jobs more than a year if not a few months due to burnout
@@Eclipse-lw4vf I was under the impression that ain't allowed due to regulations (which are basically the same almost everywhere on the world?). Is that different where that incident happened?
For anyone wondering, she showed very clear signs on a stroke, she resined after, and was not fired. Something about just feeling bad about all the lives she put in danger, even tho it wasnt her fault.
I mean, I hope they wouldn't fire her for having a medical incident that's out of her control, however, I can understand after having a stroke it's not really possible to continue that job.
I can only imagine how stressful the job is. After something like this happening and what could’ve happened even though it wasn’t her fault. Personally if I was in her shoes I would have resigned as well for the fear I’d be left alone again and it might happen again and people could get hurt. But I worry a bit more than most. I hope she is doing well now. Sounds like a nice person.
@@Chaz042TFC I don't know if it's possible to maintain her as ATC. If not, she should be given another position within the organisation, or let go on a disability discharge, which is not quite the same as being fired.
The pilots must think she's intoxicated even though they know that's outrageous. You can hear it in their tone of voice. The poor controller is struggling to stay lucid but can't. Good Lord...what a bad situation.
yea it seems like they thought maybe shes drunk but very quickly the mood changed and the pilots literally took over knowing she wasn't drunk and something was seriously wrong
@@adde9506 I was actually thinking about diabetes when I made my comment. It's my biggest fear that I'm going to be low somewhere and people will assume I'm drunk and I'll die because no one bothers to help.
It is sad to think that she was not only doing the air traffic, but also the ground traffic, without any help or backup in the tower. I would think that no one should be left alone in this position. I truly feel for her, and hope that she was able to recover.
@@Itallianmobboss My understanding was that she was handling both tower and ground traffic by herself on the day this occurred. Both being handled by the ATC happens at smaller airports, but she should have had help for this sized airport. Plus backup to help with this sort of medical emergency.
@@RS-uo2nd I have not seen any information that indicated that this was anything other than a medical emergency. All is speculation unless a credible source provides good information. My Air Force buddies say that a minimum of 2 ATC’s are required to be on shift and in the tower at all times. Common sense dictates that stroke’s, heart attacks, and other medical issues occur, so having only one person on duty is going to eventually result in someone having an issue without any backup. Seems like requiring breathalyzer checks before shifts would be a good idea.
@Han Lockhart a stroke impairs your ability to move and also often impairs your judgement. She was unable to realize what was happening. A stroke can happen to an otherwise very healthy person out of nowhere. Professional pilots can work at an airport with no ATC but it may slow operations down a lot at a busy field. A stroke can be the result of a bodily defect you have had for many decades before it presents itself. You can even be born with a defect and be quite old before it becomes a problem. MRI of the brain can help detect defects in the blood vessel so it can be repaired but thats not a standard medical procedure unless you are in a high risk category.
@@pyrocali68 fucking finally!!! Someone who knows something😂 I watched this vid almost a year ago and everyone on here is either kinda like you or they say she was drunk. But as I've commented just s minute ago im drunk right now and I'm still functional... And we dont cough or choke like that so yeah... Obviously a fucking stroke or some other health issue
@@pyrocali68 more specifically: stroke often impairs your judgement in ways that you are unable to detect if anything is wrong. Sometimes, you are not "there" at all. It is like the working parts of the brain try to cobble something together which only superficially resembles consciousness, but it is more like chatbot, using template answers, capable of only parsing very simple context. Your speech center without higher reasoning can make a lot of superficially intelligent speech (very similar to state of the art text generators actually). The problem is that the brain is not like a computer with very explicit error handling/reporting. Instead it tries really hard to pretend that everything is all right, even after loosing higher reasoning. Other example: the two halves of split brain patients are very convinced that they are the same brain, and they pretend that they have arrived at each decision together, even if all communications are cut between them.
As an air traffic controller who has suffered a stroke myself, my heart goes out to this individual. It's terrifying enough to lose the ability to speak and to think critically. But to have it happen on position, OMG, I can't imagine her terror as she desperately tried to enunciate her words. Fortunately my stroke did not happen on position and I recovered completely and made it to retirement, thank God. I hope this lady was able to recover and not lose her job. The FAA makes it hard enough to keep a medical even without a stroke.
woooww congrats on makeing it through medical to retire. My dad got allmost 2months leave because he came down with vertigo fora few days when we worked jackson ms ATC.
This is a terrifying example of how fast something as serious as a stroke can progress. She went from slight mumbling to completely incapacitated in about 10 minutes. This demonstrates the absoulute requirement of having backups and fail safes in place. I'm just glad that she recovered and that there wasn't an accident.
wasnt a stroke, controller resigned before investigation was even barely started. with inside information coming from several sources including those personal to me, her name and face is now on a BOLO Trespass Warning and Notify at every Tower in the United States that the FAA Has authority over. She was drunk.
@@instant_mint Obvious. You do not quit after having a stroke while on the job. You do quit if you wish to protect your status if you are drunk however.
Watched this several times over the years, two things catch my attention; firstly the way the pilots effectively self-organize and that the controller remained semi-functional that long under the circumstances, the first was excellent, the second scary in that there was apparently nobody else in the tower who could assess the situation and respond appropriately.
Same, and same, and same again... Was she alone in there? I know it's an intense job that requires them to focus on the radar and what they're hearing but you'd think her condition would have become obvious to others in the room before then... They don't have a supervisor over their shoulders? Her suffering breaks my heart more than anything but it is disturbing as well.
@@raysutton2310 That 100% right and i guess that the fact that she was alone will be a big one. I work at a freaking warehouse an i can"t be alone. In my country you can't work alone evan in an office. Reason for that is in this video, there are no one that can help you. What if you have a heart attack ? You are just dead. But in tower control ? That is just crazy.
Having had a stroke, I can sympathize with the woman. You, yourself, do not realise your speech has gone. However it is very concerning that action wasn't taken more quickly.
I was wondering why at least one of the pilots didnt call ground frequency and said: hey, there is something wrong with the tower controller, Can you go to check if everything its ok with her?
Francisco Figueroa For respect, I believe. What if everything was fine. It would be like you are doubting about someones work and causing panic at the airport for no reason. It was not really clear that there was something terribly wrong with her until it got worse. I get what you are saying but actually taking action can be pretty hard. In my opinion, there should have been someone else next to her, idk.
Recognize stroke signs, everyone. Minutes count: *F*-facial drooping *A*-arm weakness *S*-slurred speech *T*-time to can 9-1-1 (or equivalent) General confusion, headaches, slurred speech, difficulty walking can also present. The person will pretty much look confused and drunk, suddenly. Even if you’re not 100%, call an ambulance. Better to be wrong!
@@i-love-comountains3850 The only one? Very slurred speech too. The slurred speech and confusion are also signs of a hypoglycemic attack, much less serious, but also more common and can render the patient unconscious. Well worth pilots and ATC alike knowing the audible giveaways of both. Hope the lady made a full recovery, she did an excellent job considering the circumstances, pilots also had their wits about them, well done all!
UA448 Captain…hats off to you, kind sir. You swooped in and handled things. You alleviated a clusterf*ck situation and got that woman the medical attention she desperately needed. I’d fly with you anywhere!
@@inveniamviam4691 Multiple DUI’s, she was already on probation for substance abuse and there was supposed to be a supervisor. When they left she popped em.
I loved how the pilots were competent enough to figure out something was wrong and started dealing with the airport as if it was an uncontrolled one even though it was class b. Teamwork like that always makes me happy when listening to ATC.
These pilots were absolutely not competent enough. No landing clearance you don’t land and you go missed and switch back to approach and let them know what’s going on. You don’t takeoff either. You wait until ATC is functional and giving clear instructions. Just because there is no controller at that moment doesn’t mean it’s uncontrolled airspace. Had these early pilots gone missed, someone would have gone up to tower to realize there is a severe medical issue occurring.
Whilst it is a nice thought on your behalf, the world doesn't work like that. The pilots were treating it as if it was uncontrolled... because at that time it was, they had no idea when or if a functional ATC would be back, in this instance the pilots were correct in their actions.
Please feel free to tell me what you would have done if the issue hadn't been resolved? the aircraft in the air continuing with their prior instructions to what end? the result could very well be dire.
That's how it should be. If ATC is down, one pilot should take command while the rest communicate with each other so intentions and traffic is known. If two pilots took command it could get chaotic. Of course, the pilot in command isn't going to clear/authorize anything, but rather organize things and give warnings. The incoming landing aircraft got the warning from 448 which might encourage the pilot to go around instead of landing if it didn't feel safe to land.
As someone’s already said: ATCs are expensive. Both their training and their wage are (rightfully), so I guess it’s not that easy to have many of them available at the same time
It looks like it took over 20 minutes for help to arrive, so I'll make my little PSA: A stroke is a highly time critical event. They say that TIME IS BRAIN - in that every second that passes more and more brain matter is lost irreparably. The window of time where they even TRY to fix the issue is 4 hours from first symptoms to operating table, because after that any fix would be more dangerous than the condition. One way or the other: after a stroke you're stuck with less brain cells, because they can't regenerate ever. You can train remaining brain to retask, but that means learning everything from basics. How to eat, how to walk, etc. The longer the stroke goes on, the more functions you loose. This is why it is important to be able to recognise a stroke and call 911 immediately! And here is how you do it: FAST F - Face (Is one corner of the mouth drooping? Is one cheek hanging down? Can the person not smile or frown with both sides of their mouth? Do the eyes move uncoordinated? etc.) A - Arms (Let them hold up their arms infront of them with closed eyes. Does one arm unvoluntarily drop faster than the other? Is one arm entirely or partialy lame?) S - Speech (Is the person slurring their words? Do they have problems finding the right words? Do they make nonsensical combinations? etc.) T - Time (If you have a yes in one or more of the above - HURRY UP! Fastest time to operating table is key, so call 911!) Only YOU can prevent major stroke consequences (because the person themselves will most likely not notice it or not think it a big deal)!
Or, when time is critical (and it always is with a stroke), just: Ask the person to smile. Ask them to speak a simple sentence. Ask them to hold up their arms. If they can’t do any of the above, call 911.
I feel that it wasn't until the hot mic at 11:00 that anyone realised she was ill as their impatience early on suggested to me they thought she was intoxicated.
@@olivierb9716 Oh do me a favor. If you cared to know you’d find it. Kinda funny how the FAA never publicized a report on the matter, and she strangely resigned 3 days later. Lol.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - An air traffic controller who became incapacitated during a solo stint on a night shift in the tower at busy McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas last week has quit, authorities said Tuesday. The unidentified controller was no longer employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency said in a statement. The controller resigned Sunday, said Benjamin Rosenbaum, an aide to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada. Titus is a member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation and represents Las Vegas. The congresswoman said Friday she wanted answers after an initial briefing about what she called the “deeply disturbing” Wednesday night incident. She did not immediately make details public. Officials have not identified the controller or said what caused her to slur words during communications with pilots over a 40-minute span before the FAA said she “became incapacitated while on duty” and apparently lost consciousness shortly before midnight. Five inbound aircraft remained airborne, and aircraft on the ground held positions or communicated between themselves, the FAA said. The agency and the airport declared that no “safety events” occurred during the incident. Air traffic recordings available on the internet show commercial airline pilots had trouble understanding the controller during radio communications about approaches to land, clearances to take off and directions for taxiing. Minutes later, her microphone opens to the sound of coughing and grunting. Another controller was summoned from break to take over in the tower, and paramedics responded. The FAA has since ordered two controllers to be in the tower during most hours at McCarran, which ranks among the 10 busiest airports in the U.S. in passenger volume.
It would suck to suddenly start having trouble enunciating words, trouble reading my screen, trouble understanding the pilots, feeling confused and not knowing why...
That's part of the problem with strokes, YOU don't even notice that anything is wrong until the brain oxygen is so low you start coughing or convulsing. This woman should have had a partner sitting next to her to notice all the errors and take a look at her face or speech. Drooping cheek/lips, inability to remember anything from one moment to the next. She probably wasn't at all confused in any sense you or I think of. To her it was just another day at the desk, right up until "I don't feel so hot". Unfortunately in some cases, especially people who live alone, that can be hours of time. Every minute means more brain death.
on two separate occasions I was speaking with my mother in person, while she was experiencing distorted speech due to TIAs. she was completely oblivious, and denied anything was wrong.
Odor 66 not universally true... my grandmother 2 years go had a stroke in front of me, brain clot and she caught herself.. she was watching my sisters baby and everyone was out I stayed home and apparently she was spewing non sense to the baby and couldn’t remember his name or even her name and she raced out to me I was outside doing lawn work and she came outside confused didn’t even know me it seemed like and stumbling and mumbling and said threw her slurred speech “I need help” and took her inside called 911 and ya she made it and still healthy today. Weirdly she remembers most of what happened during the stroke.. and she remembered when she realized something wasn’t right was when she didn’t know where she was all of the sudden or who she was and caught herself saying disconnected non sense.. I also had a “playmate” a friend with benefits when I was single also have a stroke... no prior history, she was fit as can be and adorable, and early 20s and she had a stroke, this was years ago before I knew what a stroke was and she was basically exactly like this girl in ATC, increasing incoherent and then started spewing non sense and words just words didn’t relate to anything and confused what was going on...and I decided was something not right about this.. called 911 and put some clothes on her while waiting because she was a shy girl and figured she’d appreciate when she comes around later. And ya she was having a stroke they confirmed and carted her to hospital.. sadly cuz she got no medical coverage/insurance and barely livable wage her care put her massively into debt. Over $30,000 of “care” + ambulance fee....Cuz America :/
That poor ATC...she is still trying hard under impossible to handle circumstances to do her job at a professional level, but a stroke simply doesn’t allow for it. She is still controlling air traffic while having a freaking stroke better than I can even put my pants on in the morning. Props to all the professionals handling the situation, and god bless to the ATC. I hope she was ok!
bar10 ml, while that’s true, what do you expect her to have done, when nobody else was in the tower? Shut the entire airport down for an entire ATC shift? Nobody knew she was going to have a stroke. She didn’t know she was *having* a stroke. All appearances are that it happened while the second ATC was on a break. (They need those, you know.)
@Gerry Wolf I’m a paramedic and have been in EMS for almost a decade and I can tell you that I have seen a lot of otherwise very healthy people have strokes. Young and old, Fat and in shape, extensive medical history or no medical history at all. Sure, it tends to happen more frequently in people with risk factors such as obesity, but to assume she had a stroke because she was fat is down right ignorant. Especially considering you have no idea what physical shape she was in.
Jacob C also a Paramedic on a decade and fully agree. Nothing but pure ignorance and shiftiness from a lot of these comments. Particularly from Mr. Gerry up there. I feel bad for this woman and she did a great job considering the circumstances. Some of the heartlessness from the pilots was a bit disheartening too. Then again not everyone knows what to look for but it took a while for someone to call and get it sorted out
American 2785, and United 448 where absolutely gentle and patient with her. Some aviators tried to help themselves by passing some information on the ground! United 448, asked some aviator on the ground, call the medical staff and ask them to go to the control tower to help her....American2785, called on the ground for the medical team to go to the tower to help the girl...Frontier 762 later asked the "new" controller "Is she okay?"... FULL CRM!! FUL RESPECT! A strong woman and gentle pilots all helped God bless them
As easy as it is, blaming the pilots isn't right. I'm a RN at an ER and i see stroke cases all the time. An average pilot never sees that in their life and hearing someone have a stroke sounds awfully lot like someone that's very drunk or something. Bravo to the pilots who understood something is wrong and called for help. I hope the strong woman who still tried her best in the middle of a stroke recovered fully and has a happy life.
Well, migraines can also induce a similar condition, although the choking inclined me to think stroke. What the shame of it was, it was over 40 minutes in duration, pretty much burning off her golden hour. As I recall, she resigned, I've nothing on if she managed any meaningful recovery. Hallmarks, slurred speech, choking over nothing, confusion all suggest strongly of lack of oxygen getting to the brain. A similar case was in a pilot that I honestly thought was a Russian, but once at a safe pressure altitude, came through with a strong US English accent. Makes sense, as both interrupt oxygen going up into that pea sitting above our shoulders. What confused the pilots was more a case of hypoxia on the ground, few considering a stroke. I'd have called a mayday for the tower proper, defining a probable stroke and ALCON uncontrolled field, then radio company to get EMS to the tower ASAP. With ACLS to meet if needed. Radio regulations in the US not only permit, but enforce one can call a mayday on behalf of others and all concerned informs everyone involved with traffic on or near the field that a controller is out of commission, the additional call, just a duty of care for another human being. Of course, I was a military medic, had some aviation experience on the ground side and generally try to be a nice guy. But, in an emergency and nobody else is even trying to handle it, I do take charge, as someone frigging has to. I'll join you in shitting the pants afterward. Basically, lead, follow or get the hell out of the way.
@@_Y.Not_ there were a few off the cuff remarks, rather low key, assuming that the pilots somehow could know what the symptoms of a stroke are, recognize one in progress and failed to act while in the air. While they could and did indeed act from the air by alerting their company representatives at the field, no reasonable person would expect a pilot, butcher, baker or candlestick maker to recognize a stroke - especially at that time. Hence, why some mentioned SMILE or FAST/BE-FAST mnemonic to recognize the symptoms, as those both have been part of public outreach and education to help get stroke victims to help before damage becomes permanent or critical. Now, if I had missed it, those who know me would be right to criticize me for missing it, as I was a medic for a very, very long time. Anyone not working in a medical field, especially before the inception of those recognition campaigns, not to be considered amiss at all. They did precisely the correct things, aviate, navigate, communicate and they did all three, with communication also involving letting the ground know that something was seriously amiss in the tower. The controller also couldn't be considered at fault, as her primary diagnostic equipment was failing, as that equipment was in the middle of a stroke.
As a pilot and stroke survivor I found this extremely difficult to listen to. After an operation, 2 year recovery, and a bit of a fight they gave me my medical back. But I have not flown since, I no longer trust my brain, I had no pre-existing condition, and there was no warning. I assume this is a relatively young woman, our community knows how hard possibly losing her career may be, and we all wish her the best recovery possible. On the other note, no controller should be flying these critical positions solo ! That was cruel !
Is the fact she or any ATC working alone a result of Reagan's 💩 back in the 80's? I found this heart wrenching & pray all is better for this lady today!
Many posting here have no experience. She is a great controller. I've dealt with her many times. If she had a stroke it's out of her control. As pilots we are capable of landing and handling traffic without at if need be
minoew5, FAA never said what actually caused her to become incapacitated. A stroke is just as much an assumption as those saying she was drunk or on drugs. Also, she wasn't fired, she resigned.
To be fair, considering how long it seems to have taken for her to get medical attention, it's quite possible that, were it a stroke, the lasting brain damage would have left her unfit to continue her job, and she'd have been forced to resign.
The FAA didn't Fire her you Troll..... She was So upset about what happened and the Lives she put in Jeopardy she Resigned... Everyone tried to Stop Her but she was So Upset She didn't want this Ever to happen again...
Even while having a stroke, her speech was clearer than some of the transmissions I've listened to! Kudos to her for trying to continue doing her job, perhaps not even aware of what was happening to her.
I get what you're saying about her continuing to do her job, but honestly, no. A stroke is brain trauma, and it causes judgement to become impaired just as much as the communication issues we can hear. It would have been easy for her to make a fatal mistake had the pilots involved not been able to direct themselves. That, and with a stroke, getting treatment as soon as possible is absolutely imperative. Of course, a person having a stroke alone may not even realize they're having one, they usually don't. That's what is especially dangerous.
To the pilots who were not afraid to speak up, we salute you! To the pilots who clearly knew something wasn't right, said nothing, and just went on their merry way thinking it was someone else's problem... you get a 1/5th salute.
It's funny how after listening to the ATC struggle for so long you forget how intense they usually are, and how far her verbal and cognitive skills had fallen. As soon as that new controller takes charge and directs 3 planes in 20 seconds you're like WOAH.
It was instantly recognizable to the pilots. They were confused by hypoxia symptoms in someone on the ground. After all, that's the main injury cause in a stroke, deprival of oxygen to part of the brain.
@Eternity Perplexed there always needs to be an atc, if someone follows a wrong transmission or has an emergency there could be hundreds of people at stake
Having an unexpected stroke like a bolt out of the blue, my pucker factor was extremely high listening to this exchange. I came out of MY stroke better than I had any right to expect. Dear lady, my heart is with you. Folks, REMEMBER: the first thing that every stroke survivor needs to note is that the first step to survival is RECOGNIZING that you are having a stroke! Know the signs and symptoms! When you are having a stroke, your brain is going haywire dealing with the assault on the thinking processes. It can involve reasoning, vision, hearing, talking--even swallowing. It can happen to anyone--at ANY age. Educate yourselves. WOW!
@@denizenofclownworld4853 There are several medical conditions (high BP, arterial sclerosis, chemotherapy, even shingles...) that are recognized as stroke instigators and blood thinners are often prescribed to decrease the likelihood of stroke.
@@randallreed9048 Autism or histrionic personality disorder? Because, other than that you gotta spout off some shit you read on WebMD, none of which pertains to a chick just having a normal day at work.
@@AlfonsoMagona2279 I used big words. It's understandable that you'd be too stupid to understand them. Also, he didn't speak. He typed. Now run along back to school. You need it.
I hope she was okay. You could hear her deteriorating and realising slowly exactly how much trouble she was in unable to stop it. Hats off to all the pilots for realising something was wrong quite quickly and doing their best. As has been said full respect to the UA448 Captain for picking a medical emergency when he hears it and sending help.
That was tough to listen to. But I will say it was really neat to see the crews figure out something wasn't right and then the amount of compassion they showed. It went from annoyed confusion to worry for her health very quickly.
Exactly, that's a good point on this video and that's why I share it with everyone. ATC/PILOT is a couple that is essential in aviation and these pilots worked very professional and finally got some help to her.
Except the part when United said can we get somebody who knows what they're doing, not very compassionate. Clearly a struggling controller and he ridiculed her.
@@ahmadsamadzai8255 we don't know the full story with Alaska and others that landed. They maybe received clearance from the Approach controller (that's what I want to think).
This is terrifying that no one was in the control room with her. It was hard hearing her try to force her despite her obvious panic of the fact her body is failing her. Hats off to the pilots for realizing this and holding instead of proceeding to a crash. Also hats off to Spirit (I believe) for sending a medical crew.
I feel bad she sounded like she was in pain at the end and the pilots were pretty worried they just kept asking for her to reply as they just heard her say “sorry I’m choking a bit”
@@katara520 just LISTENING to ATC makes me want to kill myself. There's a ton of work and quick thinking that goes into it for sure. I'd never be able to do it, that's for sure. A tough job that I'm sure doesn't pay nearly enough... Same as pilots. These jobs aren't for the faint of heart. Long hours and super demanding of your undivided thought. Commercial pilots and ATC don't get the credit they deserve, imho.
Good on her for trying to do her job while shes having a stroke, you can hear the determination in her voice as she struggled, bless her, I hope shes alright now and happy doing whatever she is doing now.
@@redemption9593 well another person said she died on the way to the hospital so people can say anything they want. I want to know what happened to her and if she's all right.
C'mon, McCarran is a very busy airport and they had ONE controller in the tower? How long have they been doing this, 80 years or so, and this is the safety profile they've managed to come up with? Insanely reckless.
It was likely acceptable because according to the time stamp, the incident was occurring between 0700 and 0715 UTC, when converted to Local it would have been 2300 (11pm), it's very likely the airport was relatively quiet at that time and the controller would have been more then capable of manning those 2 positions.
I'd like to thank the ATC that took control and the pilots that had an understanding of a problem and acted well. I will also say a prayer for the ATC that had the Medical issue. I know this is two years old, but my prayer will be good for an eternity
Having one atc on duty in such a busy airspace is down right dangerous, and we just witnessed that. Hopefully she's doing better and the airport authorities took a long good look at their systems.
I agree better at any moment especially in larger airports like this one where can get a lot of planes coming in and 1 traffic controller you don't know what's going to happen so have extra people on stand by and helping with the traffic
@@jellohouse1288 If this was McCarran Airport, why the hell was there no backup controller? Was she alone in the tower? That should NEVER be allowed because of situations like this. This is heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time.
@@mihan2d ... She had little choice but to quit, they would have never passed her medically to do the job again. She was probably unaware of her stroke at the time, hope she fully recovered and is doing something that makes her really happy now.
She was suffering and didn't realize how badly, but she kept on trying to do her job. She didn't give up the ship... I think we can all admire her commitment to her profession. I certainly hope she's okay now.
She a really good controller who has lots of experience. I know this because I plane spot during rush hour and she really fast. If you want to see how good she is under pressure just watch British Airways fire in Vegas
My mom suffered a stroke and the worse thing is they know EXACTLY what they are trying to say and think they are saying it correctly. When they realize people don't understand, it gets even worse. Hope she's ok.
Pretty impressive how the new ATC can come in and calmly sort out the situation. Knowing whatever is going on in the Tower. They really must have nerves of steel.
Such professionalism was displayed here, that controller took over with what seemed only the snap of a finger, got situational awareness and just got on with it.
@@retabiyo she thought it was a choking as her muscle control lapsed - she was very probably not aware her verbal skills had dropped off and the inability to talk until it is too late can mean people don't get that call out. One of my scariest calls was a teenage boy slumped in a chair at school - only from a blown pupil did the teacher realise he was stroking as he just silently faded into unconsciousness and call us. Major bleed but full recovery after neurosurgery.
@@retabiyo When you have a stroke you don't even realize you have a stroke, you think you are talking and acting completely normal, but in reality you're stuttering like a drunken fool.
He did the first correct thing... asked what's everyone's situations, positions, and intentions are by looking at the aircrafts and asked. That how he got the situation under control so quickly.
I was truly in tears! She gave all she got on her job! She truly went above and beyond to the very end! Bless her with all the best that the universe can give to her!
Yea, it's like your brain know what it wants to say but getting the mouth, and throat, to function properly to say it is the problem. Then when it got worse it started affecting her ability to swallow, and control her throat, and she felt as if she was choking.
@@FredtheDorfDorfman1985 commonly a Brain having a stroke can think properly and understand somewhat about what it wants to say, as lower level functions like specific motor control are usually the first to go
That's common with a stroke. Often the pt doesn't even realize what's happening other than a vague sense that something is wrong. This woman did an impressive job trying to hold it together. I feel bad for her that it took so long for someone to get to her.
@@farmherjo3190 I always thought any ATC had to have more than one staff member and a supervisor in tower at all times for accountability especially i would think for a Vegas airport.
as a retired at controller, my heart goes out to that young lady. I don't know what time of the day it was, but where was everybody else including the supervisor that could have seen what was happening and jumped in earlier.
Some commenters state that she was on probation for previous intoxication on the job. IMO probation should not be allowed for an ATC who works drunk! The policy should be: one time, you're out. This is because of the lives that depend on them and because drinking to excess is notoriously hard to quit and known for repeat occurrences.
if that was the case and she was found drunk in the moment when this recording was made, she would have been prosecuted. The fact that she wasnt proves it was medical.
Having had a stroke myself on my 70th birthday, 2 Jun 2017, I can say that YOU don't realise something is wrong. All I remember is eating spaghetti and meatballs (discontinuity) then being in the ER. My wife told me the whole right side of my face drooped and I was slurring my speech. I had TPA and was in hospital for 10 days. 6 months later I had a seizure and don't remember anything. However, being on Keppra and Clopidigrel every day, no problems today
I felt so bad for that poor Lady,being all alone while having those health problems and no one there to help her.She could have died,I do so hope she's doing well now,where ever she is.
@@largol33t1 it was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t know what was happening but I knew something was happening. I can’t even imagine how this woman was feeling. 🥺
@@kortnie5947 My close friend only 33 years old had a stroke 5 years ago collapsed for 4 hours in the restroom nobody checked on him. His heart stopped beating and the paramedic revived him just on time...2 months in coma and woke up brain damaged. The last txts he sent his friend all misspelled and made absolutely no sense.
@@bolshoibooze8010 oh my gosh. I’m so sorry! I can’t imagine what he went through. Is he recovering in any capacity? I was only 28 when I had a stroke, I’m 34 now. Luckily I was with my teenage daughters who knew that I have a disease that causes brain aneurysms and blood clots so they called my mom who told them to call 911. I am so lucky, my neurologist reminds me every time I see her. I will keep your friend in my thoughts. ♥️
A few more atc's should be on duty, that stroke would be caught in a instant, a relief atc take over as the stroke being addressed & 911 called. The United Airline pilot saved lives.
Even if all they had was a guy cleaning and mopping floors for $7.50 an hour in there, it would be SOMEONE who could at least "shut things down" and get help
Few things made this sad. Imagine not having control of what you're saying. Some people think being in the middle of the ocean alone or something is scary. I think losing a part of your mind is the scariest and most depressing thing.
I've tried it myself and didn't like it and don't recommend it. I'm still not sure if i died and went to hell. How am I supposed to tell if I recovered or not? What is reality? I'm out of control...
Yeah not having control over yourself is truly terrifying, like people with early Alzheimer’s or Dementia will try and communicate but cannot find the words to explain and get frustrated or angry and that’s really sad to see
I suffered a traumatic brain injury a few years ago. It's different but similar effects to a stroke. I couldn't speak at times. I can't even describe the fear of 'waking up' in the middle of the grocery store with no idea where I was, having to piece it together like a detective and then figure out why I had 32 artichokes in my cart. Until you go through something like that you can't even conceptualize the experience. To this day when the residual migraines hit I can't control my volume or tone when I speak. The whole experience was emotionally traumatizing
I’ve always wished someone would’ve had the audio for about another 5 mins. While the whole thing was tragic, it was a great demonstration by professionals of recognizing the situation and making the right move by parking, sometimes shutting down, and following up when they knew something was not OK. The pilots are under so much pressure these days to go go go hurry but these guys all recognized that this could end very badly for countless people and made the best decision they could to stop and wait. The other reason is that the controller that came on was incredible. I heard it that night and was just in awe as it took him absolutely no more than 4-5 minutes and he had cleared the massive ground and air cluster fk with biz back to normal at one of the worlds busiest airports. However, I’ve not been able to find anyone who recorded that next 5 minutes with most stopping near the same place this one did. I personally was drawn to aviation because of the professionalism it requires and I simply love to see demonstrations of that play out.
9 minutes into this, and I'm starting to wonder how the hell this was allowed to continue for so long. She couldn't have been the only person in the tower. If she was, there needs to be safety protocols to avoid potential disaster.
Because she DIDN'T HAVE A STROKE. She was drunk and possibly on pills. I know the ATC that worked with her. She had just gotten out of rehab a few weeks prior. Another controller was there on break. She was terminated immediately after.
Disagree on account NO ONE called it as a medical emergency asap when she told all of them on a hot mic she was CHOKING!!! Slurred speech before that remark and too long a delay before a man asks " r u ok?". Where was the paramedic truck and ambo?? Poor girl. Such a stressful job for anyone but she soldiered on until he replaced her. Any update on her, did she make it?
@@sheilasullivan1950 I'd bet that several pilots did make an emergency call of some kind (probably their company to get security), but they wouldn't all just jump on the air to the controller.
Having suffered a stroke, I'm amazed that she was able to comprehend any of the request being relayed to her. I didn't have any bleeding in my brain yet I couldn't remember anything.
Maybe it was just subconscious responses. Like, she's done it so much that she doesn't need to consciously think about how her response is laid out. She couldn't remember many things, like when she asked that pilot to repeat his callsign 3 times and still referred to him by what she mistook it as the first time.
@@Rocco-tb9ih subconscious actions still take brain cells to do. It's most likely that the specific part of her brain she was using wasn't as starved of oxygen as other parts.
So chilling. Can only imagine how stressfull this job is on top of something that can't be controlled like a stroke. Kudos to the pilots and backup atc for maintaining composure.
I think this is genuinely the most painful, heartbreaking thing I've ever heard like fuck man I really, truly hope she's okay, it must have been a terrifying experience for her just feeling her body shut down on her like that
I quite agree.. poor lady.. where the fuck was the backup ?? This would never be allowed to happen in the Uk 🇬🇧 or Istanbul 🇹🇷 or Amsterdam for example. This is a major 🇺🇸 airfield.. What the hell !
You can hear the stress in the new ATC controller's voice... Pilot: "is everything okay up there?" New ATC: "It's getting there." Choked me up bad, after that hot mic...:(
I think that was the guy who was called in off his break to see wtf was going on. Many (in the know) seem to think the second he left the cab she downed a LOT of somethings
I think that was the guy who was called in off his break to see wtf was going on. Many (in the know) seem to think the second he left the cab she downed a LOT of somethings
As I listen to this with my heart in my throat, I do hope that professional aviators recognize a slurred voice is never acceptable. Assume the person on the other end of the transmission is incapacitated; seek help. I am baffled that I have not seen more comments on passenger safety. It is hard to imagine how many souls were subjected to danger - dang, the last thing I am announcing is, "can anyone perform the job." Take charge. We all probably remember a time at work when a sudden illness affected performance? Great respect to the voice of Frontier 448. He had it right. Stress, exhaustion, illness, drug or alcohol abuse, help is required. Complain to a supervisor after the danger is mitigated. Colleagues look out for each other.
As somebody who has recently experienced a stroke I fully sympathise with this poor lady and pray she made an excellent recovery.I was lucky,if you can call it that,that I was at home and not at work or driving.Obviously there is no good time to have a stroke but for it to happen whilst performing such a safety related job is horrendous.I'd spent a Sunday afternoon gardening,Sat down at my computer and then could barely stand up,I hobbled through to the lounge and fell,cutting my mouth badly..I even got accused of being drunk as I was confused and slurring as I'd had a glass of wine or two after gardening and had got my stuff ready for work on the Monday..I just thought it was a virus or something so I struggled to bed,by the Wednesday I still wasn't good so an ambulance was called..I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy,on the stroke ward I realised I'd been lucky,some of the poor souls in there was utterly heartbreaking.I so hope she was OK.
I served 9 years Army aviation 6 1/2 years high altitude search and rescue I delt with all kind of emergencies and the way she was acting coughing are sure signs of a stroke, she has handled extreme emergencies as ATC in Vegas including an aircraft fire she was fast calm and professional in handling aircraft, they have to say incapacitated because they can't just release her medical condition but she was put on administrative leave for medical reasons, she is recovering.
That's kind of a career ending event... I'm dealing with a roommate with a stroke... 1 year in she's not much better. Just trying to read an address from a map app is hard for her...
@@Leeifyable There's nothing they can do.. stokes are bad.. most controllers are done by the time they reach their 40's... just because it's such a mind breaking job. Even without a stroke..
I’m a little shocked nobody picked up on her sooner. Slurred speech and instructions that make no sense. A supervisor should have been monitoring. Thankfully this was resolved without incident. Thank you for posting
I, Promize, Early on, she was dropping sounds, and it came across as though it was a poor quality transmission. It took quite a while before she gave unclear instructions, and the realization that something was wrong came shortly after.
A lot of ATC’s work long hours and usually in the US work alone and they get tired cuz they work like 20+ hours or some crazy stuff and so it’s usually not an immediate red flag. It’s messed up but just about everything else here is too so meh
@@Huntress_Hannah Wasn't a stroke, it was substance abuse. Nobody wants to talk about it because it puts ATC in a bad light but controllers in that building know what happened.
I was a 911 dispatcher for a year and was certified in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) which was basically medical training for determining the appropriate medical response type and if subsequent caller advice. Can’t tell you how many calls I got for people beginning to have, or in the middle of having, a stroke. It was sad and scary listening to them slur their words and have trouble with basic speech and there was not much I could do aside from send help as fast as possible.
This made me tear up. I pray she makes a full recovery. I'm a nurse and that was still difficult to listen to. I'm so happy the pilots were quick to recognize something was off and exercised care and caution.
Sis Shahada well i dont think they were that fast, im not sure id take off after an atc controller that sounds like she just drank a whole jack daniels in one sitting mumbles me the takeoff clearance :)
@@Nussholzmobiliar Agreed! I understand the pilots' initial annoyance and as a nurse, a whole lot of scenarios run through my mind regarding her incapacitation. I'm so happy this didn't end in disaster.
@Copter Cop she pointed out that she has experience in the medical field dealing with things like this and it was still hard for her to hear. She was sympathizing.
