Narrative:

I am a part time flight instructor. A friend of mine owns an small aircraft twin. He asked me if I would take a friend of his for a ride in it and show him how an airplane works. I said sure. It was just the 2 of us, so I let him situation in the pilot's seat and me in the copilot's seat. We proceeded to the practice area where I explained the controls, radios, instruments, etc, and I let him make a few bank turns to get the feel of it. As I returned to the airport, ny approach handed me off to the tower when I was on about a 4 or 5 mi final for runway 24. Just as I was about to change to the tower frequency, I noticed my passenger's 2 hands on the control wheel. He started shaking and turning the wheel violently. I said, what are you doing? He didn't say a word to me, but his face was white and foaming at the mouth. My first impression was a heart attack. I punched him in the chest and struck his wrist with my fist to get him to release the wheel, but he had a dead man's grip on it. Twice, his upper body fell across the column putting the aircraft in a dangerous descent. Pulling him back with my arm and trying to maintain a descent attitude with my other hand was very difficult. To say the least, I was very nervous. All I could think about was getting the plane on the ground as quickly and as safely as possible. After I touched down, my passenger was semi-conscious. At this time, I realized I never checked in with the tower and I landed on a runway I was never even cleared to land on. A very dangerous situation. My passenger was conscious when I helped him out of the plane. My first question to him was, 'what's going on here, what happened out there?' he said he had an epilepsy seizure. He said he hadn't had one in over 4 yrs, so he thought he could handle the airplane ride with no problem. I was furious with my friend for not informing me of this gentleman's medical condition, and, from now on, I want to know a little more about who I'm flying with. In retrospect, I neglected to contact the tower because I got involved with fighting off this gentleman and trying to maintain control of the aircraft. I should have found the time for communication also. Callback conversation with reporter's son revealed the following information: the reporter's son responded to a callback stating that the reporter in this incident had been killed in the same aircraft that was mentioned in this report. The reporter's son states that the reporter may have been flying again with the passenger mentioned in this report, and that this incident may have repeated itself with tragic consequences. As of the date of the callback, the reporter's son is not sure about any of the details of the accident and the medical condition of the passenger prior to the fatal accident. The passenger in the original incident recovered from his epileptic seizure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PAX IN AN EPILEPTIC FIT CAUSED PROBS FOR THE PLT OF AN SMA.

Narrative: I AM A PART TIME FLT INSTRUCTOR. A FRIEND OF MINE OWNS AN SMA TWIN. HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD TAKE A FRIEND OF HIS FOR A RIDE IN IT AND SHOW HIM HOW AN AIRPLANE WORKS. I SAID SURE. IT WAS JUST THE 2 OF US, SO I LET HIM SIT IN THE PLT'S SEAT AND ME IN THE COPLT'S SEAT. WE PROCEEDED TO THE PRACTICE AREA WHERE I EXPLAINED THE CTLS, RADIOS, INSTS, ETC, AND I LET HIM MAKE A FEW BANK TURNS TO GET THE FEEL OF IT. AS I RETURNED TO THE ARPT, NY APCH HANDED ME OFF TO THE TWR WHEN I WAS ON ABOUT A 4 OR 5 MI FINAL FOR RWY 24. JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE TO THE TWR FREQ, I NOTICED MY PAX'S 2 HANDS ON THE CTL WHEEL. HE STARTED SHAKING AND TURNING THE WHEEL VIOLENTLY. I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE DIDN'T SAY A WORD TO ME, BUT HIS FACE WAS WHITE AND FOAMING AT THE MOUTH. MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS A HEART ATTACK. I PUNCHED HIM IN THE CHEST AND STRUCK HIS WRIST WITH MY FIST TO GET HIM TO RELEASE THE WHEEL, BUT HE HAD A DEAD MAN'S GRIP ON IT. TWICE, HIS UPPER BODY FELL ACROSS THE COLUMN PUTTING THE ACFT IN A DANGEROUS DSCNT. PULLING HIM BACK WITH MY ARM AND TRYING TO MAINTAIN A DSCNT ATTITUDE WITH MY OTHER HAND WAS VERY DIFFICULT. TO SAY THE LEAST, I WAS VERY NERVOUS. ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS GETTING THE PLANE ON THE GND AS QUICKLY AND AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE. AFTER I TOUCHED DOWN, MY PAX WAS SEMI-CONSCIOUS. AT THIS TIME, I REALIZED I NEVER CHKED IN WITH THE TWR AND I LANDED ON A RWY I WAS NEVER EVEN CLRED TO LAND ON. A VERY DANGEROUS SIT. MY PAX WAS CONSCIOUS WHEN I HELPED HIM OUT OF THE PLANE. MY FIRST QUESTION TO HIM WAS, 'WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?' HE SAID HE HAD AN EPILEPSY SEIZURE. HE SAID HE HADN'T HAD ONE IN OVER 4 YRS, SO HE THOUGHT HE COULD HANDLE THE AIRPLANE RIDE WITH NO PROB. I WAS FURIOUS WITH MY FRIEND FOR NOT INFORMING ME OF THIS GENTLEMAN'S MEDICAL CONDITION, AND, FROM NOW ON, I WANT TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHO I'M FLYING WITH. IN RETROSPECT, I NEGLECTED TO CONTACT THE TWR BECAUSE I GOT INVOLVED WITH FIGHTING OFF THIS GENTLEMAN AND TRYING TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT. I SHOULD HAVE FOUND THE TIME FOR COM ALSO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR'S SON REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR'S SON RESPONDED TO A CALLBACK STATING THAT THE RPTR IN THIS INCIDENT HAD BEEN KILLED IN THE SAME ACFT THAT WAS MENTIONED IN THIS RPT. THE RPTR'S SON STATES THAT THE RPTR MAY HAVE BEEN FLYING AGAIN WITH THE PAX MENTIONED IN THIS RPT, AND THAT THIS INCIDENT MAY HAVE REPEATED ITSELF WITH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. AS OF THE DATE OF THE CALLBACK, THE RPTR'S SON IS NOT SURE ABOUT ANY OF THE DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE MEDICAL CONDITION OF THE PAX PRIOR TO THE FATAL ACCIDENT. THE PAX IN THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT RECOVERED FROM HIS EPILEPTIC SEIZURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.