Here’s What Happens When Someone Dies On An Airplane
By Eloise Heath
7 months ago
1. Someone raises the alarm
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Contrary to what thrillers and action blockbusters might imply, when someone passes away on an airplane the most common causes will be routine medical issues- rather than crashes, assassins or snakes! Which means first of all, someone will raise the alarm.Medical emergencies can prove fatal
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Whilst flying is, statistically speaking, still a very safe way to travel, there are some medical conditions that can be exacerbated by flight. The high air pressure on board increases the chances of blood clots forming, so anyone who has suffered a heart attack, stroke, or similar medical emergency should take caution when embarking on an air bourn journey- and seek medical advice prior to departure.2. They'll try to save them
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Once cabin crew have been alerted, either by the person feeling unwell or another passenger, they'll attempt to intervene medically. Some people think of cabin crew as essentially just waiters and waitresses, but if you have a medical emergency in the air they could be the ones saving your life.3. "Is there a doctor on board?"
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The plane will be kitted out with medical kits, so the the crew will start trying to help. They'll make an assessment and, if they feel it's beyond their capabilities or if they can't figure out what the issue is, they may resort to taking to the tannoy and asking if there's a doctor on board who can assist.4. The captain will consider re-routing the whole flight
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If, at this stage, the crew are having no luck alleviating the patient's distress, the captain will consider re routing the flight. Depending how far they are into the journey, they may turn back to the flights origin, or divert to another city en route where the passenger can be transferred to a hospital.5. Resuscitation is attempted once their pulse stops
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When things get dire and a passenger's pulse actually stops, cabin crew will use their CPR training. CPR, or 'cardiopulmonary resuscitation', is a vital life saving skill- if it works, it helps distribute blood to the brain and other organs during cardiac arrest.6. It's a race against time
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Attempts to resuscitate a passenger in this kind of emergency are limited to 30 minutes- so it really is a race against time. As the seconds, then minutes, tick by, the likelihood of success dwindle, and by the half an hour mark it's sadly time to admit defeat.7. They notify the captain
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It's at this point that the captain will be informed of the passenger's passing away. But did you know, technically, you can't be declared officially dead on a plane? That has to wait until much later, on the ground, for a doctor's sign off. But at this point the captain will be able to make further decisions about the journey.8. The captain tells the ground
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It is then the captain's sorry responsibility to notify people on the ground with the news. They will also communicate whether any re-routing has occurred, what the plan is going forward, etc. The staff at the destination can then start making preparations for the arrival of the body.9. They move them to another seat if there's space
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If there's enough available space on the plane, the body will be moved to an isolated seat, for the sake of the other passengers in the area- ideally a totally unoccupied row. Often there's more space in first class, so the body will be moved forward into that section a lot of the time.10. The corpse cupboard
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In 2004 Singapore Airlines launched a fleet of airplanes called the "Airbus A340-500". What's interesting about that, I hear your cry? Well these had a defining feature: a small compartment at the back of the plane near the exit doors. Due to it's shape, it became known as the "corpse cupboard."11. If not, the people beside them have to sit next to them
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If there are no empty seats, no corpse cupboard (eek!) and no available room in the gangways/vestibules near the door, then unfortunately they will be left in their seat and the passengers around them just have to sit there! It's a bit of a grim thought...12. The body is put in a body bag
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If the airline uses them, the body will be put into a body bag, which will then be zipped up to the neck. We wonder why they don't zip them the entire way up? It might be a bit easier for the passengers around them if they're not trying to avoid looking at their face the whole rest of the flight!13. Or covered with a blanket
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If the airline want to keep things a little less CSI feeling, they'll forgo the body bags and instead cover the body up with a blanket. That way it could almost look like they're just resting which, in a way, they are. It's quite poetic really, in a morbid way.14. They get buckled in
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One more thing the cabin crew will make sure to do at this point is to buckle the body in nice and securely. In the interests of dignity, and of the other passengers around them if applicable, you need everything to be secure in case there's any turbulence.Corpse in the water closet?!
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15. They close their eyes
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(Don't worry, the people in this photo are just sleeping!!) One final thing that crew do to before leaving the body in peace for the remainder of the flight is to close their eyes. This happens for a few different reasons. In part, it's meant to help the other passengers on the plane feel a bit more comfortable.It's a cultural thing too
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It's also partly because, in many cultures and religions, closing the eyes of the deceased is a customary practice associated with the process of death and the transition to the afterlife. So much so that it has seeped into popular culture- you'll often see characters do this at crime scenes.16. Collect their contact details
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If the passenger is travelling with someone else, the cabin crew will have to ask that person for their name and contact details for record, perhaps their passport. We can't imagine what a person goes through in this situation, and of course the cabin crew are sensitive to the trauma and grief they must be experiencing.17. The flight continues to its destination
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Of course, in this scenario someone has lost their life, and anyone travelling with them has had their life changed forever, too. Which makes it sound almost uncaring that the flight now carries on, essentially as normal. As tragic as a death on board may be, the flight has to carry on.18. Everyone else will get off first
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In the case of an on-board, mid-flight death, the crew will wait for everyone else to have disembarked before brining the body off on the airplane. That way there's no rush, and there's as little contact as possible with the other passengers- for privacy and comfort.19. Family are contacted
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With everyone back on the ground, the time comes for the deceased's family to be notified of their passing. Sometimes it will be a companion that passes the news along, but we imagine if the passenger is traveling alone it will fall to a member of staff. We don't envy whoever's job this becomes, delivering bad news like that must eventually take a toll on you.20. A doctor will confirm the death officially
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21. Medical Examination
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Sometimes it will be clear what's gone wrong, but other times a cause of death might be more mysterious. Depending on the circumstances, and the exact nature of the death, a medical examiner or forensic expert might examine the deceased and determine the cause of death.22. If it's something contagious, there might be further steps
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If its determined that the cause of death was something contagious, rather than a heart attack, stroke, or blood clot, then the airline may be forced to take additional steps. Information about this procedure is kept pretty private, but we imagine there must be a process in place for notifying other passengers about any potential exposure.23. The legal bit
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Authorities have to be notified
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So as well as notifying the family and arranging for the appropriate medical professionals to be there, the airline may also be responsible for notifying law enforcement or local authorities. Just think- this person may have been flying home, or they could now be half way around the world from where they need to end up. It's a complex logistical puzzle.24. Transporting the body
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Of course, the airport isn't designed to house bodies for long stretches of time - eventually the issue of refrigeration rears its head. So, next step is to arrange the transport of the body from there to either a local funeral home or to a mortuary.A longer journey to come
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Whilst the person who has passed has finished their journey on Earth, their body may not have done. If, before passing, they expressed wishes to be buried or cremated in a certain place, they might now be thousands of miles away from their intended resting place. It will be a big task to coordinate with family to arrange repatriation back to wherever they are meant to be.25. Cleaning and decontamination
