Alaska Airlines Flight 473 Diverted Thursday Night After Pilot Passes Out

Alaska Airlines flight 473 in route from L.A. to Seattle was forced to divert when the pilot passed out in the cockpit. The co-pilot, an 11 year veteran of the airline, was able to take over the plane and, after declaring an emergency, make a successful landing in Portland, Ore. where the pilot was then taken to the hospital.

There's no word yet as to why the pilot, who has flown for Alaska Airlines for 28 years, was taken ill; but he did later regain consciousness and leave the cockpit. According to the Seattle Times, a doctor was on board the Boeing 737-700 and was able to tend to the pilot at the front of the plane.

20 of the 116 passengers were transferred to a Horizon Air shuttle flight to Seattle, according to Alaska Airlines spokesman Paul McElroy, to accommodate their tight connection schedules. The remaining passengers continued to Seattle on the same plane manned by a new pilot.