After the captain became ill, the off-duty pilot landed the plane

An off-duty pilot on an American Southwest Airlines flight may have saved the lives of passengers by allowing the plane to land after the captain fell ill.

• Read more: [EN VIDÉO] A wave of panic runs through the passengers of an emergency landing flight

• Read more: A Boeing 737 skids off the runway while landing in Ontario

• Read more: Co-pilot dies in mid-air jump

The Boeing 737 was scheduled to take off from Las Vegas to Columbus on Wednesday when one of its pilots was “unfit” to continue after a medical emergency.

“A pilot from another airline entered the cockpit to handle radio communications while a pilot from Southwest operated the aircraft,” a company spokesman said.

A nurse also attended to the sick captain.

An audio message obtained by CNN shows a crew member sounding a warning, saying the captain could no longer operate the plane.

“He’s got a flight attendant in the back, but we need to get him an ambulance soon,” he said.

The plane managed to make a U-turn to land in Las Vegas.

A new crew boarded the plane to carry passengers to Columbus.

“When a medical emergency occurs mid-flight, it is normal to ask for assistance from the in-flight medical personnel,” Southwest said.

The Central Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. After a series of dangerous incidents in recent weeks, the government agency has issued several warnings to remind airlines and pilots to “be aware of safety instructions”.

According to information from New York Post