The Taoyuan Union of Pilots yesterday urged the government to stipulate reasonable work hours for pilots in the Aircraft Flight Operation Regulations (民用航空器飛航作業管理規則), after a China Airlines pilot died on Wednesday suffered a cardiac arrest while he was on duty and died.
The 35-year-old pilot, surnamed Liu (劉), was scheduled to fly a Mandarin Airlines — a subsidiary of China Airlines — plane from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Taichung.
After all passengers had boarded, the plane Liu lost consciousness and was taken to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate him.
Photo courtesy of Mandarin Airlines
China Airlines said that the pilot had a break of more than 30 hours before reporting for duty, which meets civil aviation regulations.
The actual cause of Liu’s death would be determined by medical professionals, the company said.
“It is with profound pain and sadness that we hear one of our union members has passed away while on duty,” the union said, adding that it is helping Liu’s family take care of funeral arrangements.
“We thank all who have offered their condolences and care to Liu’s family. However, we also ask people refrain from speculating over the cause of his death and wait for the final investigation report to be made public to avoid causing further harm to his family,” the union said.
The union has appealed to China Airlines to help Liu’s family with his funeral and compensation.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) should continue to push for amendments to the Aircraft Flight Operation Regulations, in which reasonable work hours for pilots should be clearly stipulated to prevent airlines from overworking pilots, the union said.
Pilots should monitor their health and stop accepting assignments if they are fatigued and or have any other physical discomfort, the union said.
The union also passed a resolution yesterday to help raise money for Liu’s family, if they approve of the arrangement.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) said in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee that the CAA should increase the frequency of mandatory physical exams for pilots under 40 years of age from once to twice per year.
CAA Director-General Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said that Liu’s medical history did not show any problems, adding that the cause of his death has yet to be determined.
The airline has been asked to submit a comprehensive report on the pilot before and after he reported for duty, Lin said.
As to Chen’s proposal, Lin said that the agency will have to evaluate the necessity of such a requirement first, considering the airline has more than 1,000 pilots.
Civil aviation pilots under 40 are required by law to undergo one physical exam annually, while those over 40 and under 60 must have an exam every six months. Pilots over 60 must take the physical exam every four months.
Moreover, pilots can only be given an assignment after they pass the physical.
Companies must not deny a pilot’s request for leave because of physical or mental health issues, according to the law.
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