'Gulf pilot had heart attack'

'Gulf pilot had heart attack'

DUBAI (AFP): The British pilot of a Gulf Air Airbus A-320
which skidded off a runway at Abu Dhabi airport, leaving 86
passengers injured, had a heart attack during takeoff, an
aviation source said yesterday.

The source, who declined to be identified, told AFP that the
co-pilot of the plane was forced to grab the controls after the
pilot, Simon Frank, suffered a heart attack and tried to abort
the takeoff.

Abdallah Abdel Karim, the Bahrain-based public relations
director for Gulf Air, denied the report.

Abu Dhabi civil aviation authorities have said a burst tire
may have been the cause of the accident.