Heart Attack in Flight: Biman Capt Nawshad passes away
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Capt Nawshad Ataul Quaiyum, a reputed pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, who suffered a massive heart attack while in command of a Muscat-Dhaka flight, died in an Indian hospital yesterday.
He was 44.
The pilot was in deep coma with ventilation support soon after he was admitted to Kingsway Hospital in Nagpur following the emergency landing of BG-022 on Friday, said a hospital source.
A highly-placed source in Kingsway Hospital said Capt Nawshad breathed his last yesterday while he was on ventilation support, reports our Delhi correspondent.
Later, his ventilation support was removed in the presence of the pilot's family members, the source said, wishing not to be named.
The source said it would take at least a couple of days to take his body to Dhaka because a lot of formalities are to be completed.
He said family members of the pilot and Biman's country manager in Delhi have been waiting at the hospital for the deceased's death certificate.
Capt Mahbubur Rahman, president, Bangladesh Airlines' Pilot Association, a platform of pilots in Biman, told The Daily Star that preparations are going on to bring back his body as soon as possible after completing all formalities.
Born in 1977, Capt Nawshad joined Biman in 2002.
At first, he acted as first officer of A310 and Boeing 777. Later, he became pilot of Boeing 737, Capt Mahbub said.
In December 2016, Capt Nawshad emergency landed a flight of Biman at the Dhaka airport successfully after a tyre of the aircraft's left landing gear burst saving lives of around 149 passengers on board. The flight was on its way to Chattogram from Muscat.
Later, International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, the global voice of professional pilots, gave an appreciation letter to Capt Nawshad for his successfully landing the aircraft with a burst tyre.
Capt Nawshad's late father Abdul Quaiyum was also a captain of the national airliner and he acted as pilot of F-28 aircraft. He died in February, said sources in Biman.
"He [Nawshad] was undoubtedly an efficient pilot who admired his profession. He loved flying," recalled Capt Mahbub while talking to this correspondent.
"Capt Nawshad once acted as my co-pilot. As a pilot, he was well-reputed and was also a very good person," Capt Shoaib Chowdhury, a senior pilot of Dreamliner 787-8, told this paper.
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, one son and a host of relatives to mourn his death.
Carrying 124 passengers on board, the Dhaka-bound Biman flight from Muscat made an emergency landing at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in India's Nagpur on August 27 when its pilot Capt Nawshad suffered a massive cardiac arrest in mid-air.
The plane was near Raipur when it contacted Kolkata ATC for an emergency landing and was advised to land at the nearest airport, Nagpur.
Capt Mostakim Pias, who was the co-pilot of that flight, landed at the Nagpur aircraft safely.
On Saturday, Roshan Fulbandhe, assistant general manager of Kingsway Hospital, said, "Capt Nawshad's condition is severe … he is surviving with full ventilation support … he suffered brain hemorrhage and bleeding profusely… he remains unconscious."
He said initially the pilot suffered a cardiac arrest onboard the flight and after that he was taken to the emergency ward of the hospital with "unresponsive and unconscious" condition.
Roshan said an angiogram was done which brought out 60-70 percent blockage in his two arteries. As per the cardiac arrest protocol, the patient was then put on ventilator.
CONDOLENCE
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister for Civil Aviation M Mahbul Ali, Biman MD and CEO Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, and Bangladesh Airlines' Pilot Association, among others, expressed deep shock at the demise of Capt Nawshad.
In a condolence message, the PM prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and expressed deep sympathy for the family members of the deceased.
The Biman MD and CEO and all employees and officials of Biman expressed deep shock at the death of Capt Nawshad.
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