Captain incapacitation during taxi

조종사도 사람이라 아플 수 있습니다. 오늘의 라인 지식 두 가지 — 두 번 불러 답이 없으면 무력화로 판정한다(two-challenge rule), 그리고 틸러는 기장석에만 있어서 FO 혼자 비행은 해도 지상활주는 못 하는 기종이 많다. 그래서 답은 "내가 몰고 돌아간다"가 아니라 "멈추고 끌려간다"입니다. 문법은 판단을 말하는 최상급 + to부정사.

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1. Scenario

I was the First Officer of HL123, taxiing out for departure, with the Captain taxiing the aircraft as usual.

Halfway to the runway, his speech suddenly became slurred, and the aircraft began drifting off the centreline. I challenged him twice — "Captain, are you okay? Captain?" — and got no clear answer. Two challenges, no response: by our procedure, that is incapacitation. I took over, brought the aircraft to a stop with the brakes, and set the parking brake.

Then I told ground control the situation plainly: the Captain was unable to continue, we needed medical help, and we could not taxi back ourselves — on our aircraft the steering tiller is only on the Captain's side. The safest thing was to stop and ask for a tow.

Ground kept the frequency simple for me, held the traffic behind us, and sent a tug and the paramedics to a stand nearby. The cabin crew helped the Captain while I shut down what needed shutting down, we were towed in, and the medics met him at the door. The flight was taken over by a standby crew later that day.

2. At a Glance

English — During taxi, the Captain's speech became slurred and the aircraft drifted off the centreline. Two challenges with no response meant incapacitation: I took over, stopped the aircraft, and set the brake — and because the tiller is only on the Captain's side, I told ground we could not taxi back and needed a tow and medical help. We were towed to a stand, and the paramedics met him at the door. The rule: fly what you can fly, and never move an aircraft you cannot fully control.

한국어 — 지상활주 중 기장의 말이 갑자기 어눌해지고 기체가 중심선을 벗어나기 시작했습니다. 두 번 불러 답이 없으면 무력화 — 제가 조종을 인수해 정지시키고 브레이크를 잡았습니다. 그리고 틸러가 기장석에만 있어 우리 힘으로는 못 돌아간다고 지상관제에 알리고, 견인차와 의료 지원을 요청했어요. 스탠드로 견인됐고 구급대가 문 앞에서 기장을 인계받았습니다. 원칙 — 조종할 수 있는 것만 조종하고, 완전히 통제 못 하는 기체는 움직이지 않는다.

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3. Key Verbs

slur

뜻: (말이) 어눌해지다

• His speech became slurred in the middle of a sentence.
• Slurred speech is a classic sign of trouble.

challenge

뜻: (응답을 요구하며) 확인하다

• I challenged him twice, by name.
• If two challenges get no response, treat it as incapacitation.

drift

뜻: (기체가) 흘러가다

• The aircraft began drifting off the centreline.
• We were drifting toward the grass before I took over.

take over

뜻: 인수하다

• I took over control immediately.
• Control was taken over without any argument — there was no one to argue with.

secure

뜻: 안전하게 고정하다

• I stopped the aircraft and secured it with the parking brake.
• The flight deck was secured before I worked the radio.

declare

뜻: (상태를) 선언하다

• I declared the Captain unable to continue.
• The situation was declared to ground in plain language.

tow

뜻: 견인하다

• We asked to be towed back to a stand.
• The aircraft was towed in with me on the brakes.

assist

뜻: 돕다

• The cabin crew assisted the Captain in his seat.
• I was assisted by a very calm ground controller.

hand over

뜻: 인계하다

• We handed the Captain over to the paramedics at the door.
• The flight was handed over to a standby crew.

replace

뜻: 교대시키다

• A standby crew replaced us later that day.
• The Captain was replaced and taken to hospital.

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4. Key Expressions & Collocations

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5. Vocabulary

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6. Sentence Frames

빈칸만 갈아끼우면 다른 무력화·단독 대처 시나리오에도 그대로 씁니다.

• I challenged him twice and got ____. → I challenged him twice and got no clear response.
• I took over, ____, and ____. → I took over, stopped the aircraft, and set the parking brake.
• We could not ____ ourselves, because ____. → We could not taxi back ourselves, because the tiller is only on the Captain's side.
• The safest thing was to ____. → The safest thing was to stop and ask for a tow.
• ____ was handed over to ____. → The Captain was handed over to the paramedics at the door.

오늘의 표현 포인트 — "The safest thing was to ____." 왜 그 선택을 했는지를 한 문장으로 끝내는 틀 — 무력화뿐 아니라 모든 판단 서술에 씁니다.

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7. Common Mistakes → Better Phrasing

한국인이 자주 쓰는 틀리거나 약한 표현을, 시험에서 통하는 표현으로 바꿔 익히세요.

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8. Grammar Point — 최상급 + to부정사

"가장 안전한/빠른/좋은 선택은 ~하는 것이었다" — 판단의 이유를 짧고 강하게 말하는 틀입니다.

• The safest thing was to stop and ask for a tow.
• The quickest way to get help was to return to a stand.
• The best decision was to hand the flight to a standby crew.

핵심: the + 최상급 + thing/way/decision + was to 동사원형. 시험관이 듣고 싶은 건 행동이 아니라 행동의 이유 — 이 틀이 그걸 한 번에 전합니다.

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9. Model Answer — Q1

"What happened to your aircraft? Explain the nature of the incident."

90초 뼈대 — ① 무슨 일(2문장) ② 조치·상호작용(34문장) ③ 결과 + 한 줄(12문장). 아래는 그 뼈대의 예시입니다.

During taxi out, the Captain's speech suddenly became slurred, and the aircraft began drifting off the centreline. I challenged him twice by name and got no clear response — by our procedure, that is incapacitation.

I took over, stopped the aircraft, and set the parking brake. Then I told ground control plainly that the Captain was unable to continue and that we needed medical help — and since the steering tiller is only on the Captain's side, we could not taxi back ourselves, so I requested a tow. Ground kept the frequency simple, held the traffic behind us, and sent a tug and the paramedics to a nearby stand.

We were towed in, and the paramedics met the Captain at the door. The safest thing was to stop and be pulled home — you never move an aircraft you cannot fully control.

10. Model Answer — Q2

"How do you think ATC handled the situation? Could it have been handled differently?"

Q2 = ATC 평가로 의견 표현을 익히는 자리. 아래는 한 예시 — 외워서 그대로 쓰지 말고, 시작·마무리 표현은 자유롭게 바꿔 보세요.

I was suddenly working alone, and the controller clearly understood that. His calls were short and one at a time, he held everything behind us without being asked twice, and the tow and the paramedics were moving before I had finished explaining. When one pilot is doing the work of two, a quiet frequency is real help.

The only part I would change is the questions. While we waited for the tug, ground asked for details — the Captain's age, his condition, our company contact — on the same busy frequency. Most of that could have gone through the company channel instead, and it would have saved me from juggling the radio while checking on him. Even so, they read the situation fast and treated it with exactly the right urgency.

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11. Follow-up Q&A

1. How do line pilots usually handle pilot incapacitation? → The two-challenge rule: call the other pilot twice, and if there is no clear response, treat it as incapacitation. Take over, get the aircraft to a safe state, then get medical help — the flight itself no longer matters.
2. Why couldn't you taxi back to the gate yourself? → On many aircraft the steering tiller is only on the Captain's side. The rudder pedals steer a little at speed, but tight taxiway turns need the tiller — so the honest answer was a tow.
3. What made you suspect incapacitation rather than a simple mistake? → Two signs at once: slurred speech and the aircraft drifting. One odd thing can be a slip; two together, with no response, is a pattern.
4. What would you have done if this had happened in flight? → The same logic in the air: take over, ask the cabin crew for help with him, declare the situation, and land at the nearest suitable airport as a single pilot.

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12. Shadowing Sentences

각 문장을 3~5번 소리 내어 따라 하세요.

1. His speech suddenly became slurred.
2. The aircraft began drifting off the centreline.
3. I challenged him twice and got no clear response.
4. By our procedure, that is incapacitation.
5. I took over, stopped the aircraft, and set the parking brake.
6. The Captain is unable to continue — we need medical help.
7. The tiller is only on the Captain's side.
8. The safest thing was to stop and ask for a tow.
9. Ground kept the frequency simple and held the traffic behind us.
10. Never move an aircraft you cannot fully control.

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