Eclipsed Skies: Navigating Life and Loss High Above Alaska

It was shortly before Thanksgiving two years ago that Jim Haugom perished on a flight bound for Alaska.

Haugom and his spouse, Patty, were concluding a family visit on Oahu and anticipating the festivities at home.

Jim Haugom stood up to visit the lavatory approximately 45 minutes before reaching Anchorage on the early morning flight. He lost consciousness and was unable to be revived, despite the swift measures taken by the flight crew and other passengers.

Two years later, Patty Haugom continues to convey nothing but appreciation for the empathy and care she received on one of the most difficult days of her life.

Flight attendants and medical practitioners she had never encountered attempted to save her husband. Strangers consoled her through prayer. Ground responders directed her to a secluded area for her to mourn.

“The crew was remarkable,” Haugom expressed. “In that confined space … there were four flight attendants and passengers present, and they had the appropriate equipment. They were fully engaged. They did not relent. Even after we landed, they were still trying to assist him.”

In a geographically isolated region like Alaska, where air travel is often essential, in-flight medical crises serve as stark reminders of the vulnerability faced by air travelers.

A death occurring on an aircraft highlights the urgent decisions that confronting flight crew and medical personnel who respond to assist, the emotional stress experienced by other passengers in such confined quarters—and the connection they all share during someone’s final moments.

“It’s challenging for everyone involved: family, crew, passengers,” stated Seth Heiple, a flight attendant and union safety chair of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

In-flight anomalies

The likelihood of a death occurring on an aircraft is exceedingly low, even as medical emergencies have become more prevalent with billions of passengers traveling each year and “an increasingly aging demographic of air travelers” with significant health concerns, as detailed in a 2021 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Since 2022, an average of two midair deaths per year have been reported involving flights arriving in Anchorage, according to Cpl. Daniel Harmeling of the Anchorage Airport Police & Fire Department. This figure encompasses scheduled flights as well as those redirected due to in-flight emergencies.

The 2021 study indicated that there were 0.21 fatalities on planes for every million passengers.

Don Young, Alaska’s sole United States representative for many years and the longest-serving Republican member of Congress in U.S. history, was one such rare instance.

Young — seated alongside his wife, Anne — passed away on a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle in March 2022 after losing consciousness as the aircraft descended into Seattle. Medical personnel on the ground were unable to revive him. Young’s communications director, Zack Brown, was also present on the flight.

“It felt like the longest day of my life and I can hardly believe a year has gone by,” Brown posted on X a year later, in March 2023. “Forever grateful for our Alaska Airlines crew and all who assisted in returning my boss’s remains & Mrs. Young back to DC. There was no guidebook for what transpired, but the support system I had was incredible.”

Returning home

Patty Haugom remarked that there were few indications of any health issues with her husband before boarding that 2022 flight. She later noted he had been falling more frequently than usual.

The Haugoms relocated to Alaska from South Dakota in 1971. Haugom, 76 when he passed, was employed at the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman before transitioning to a lineman role at Matanuska Telephone Association. He retired by 2007, known as a devoted grandfather, proud gardener, and skilled woodworker who could repair anything.

The Haugoms raised six children, including a son residing in Oahu. During that 2022 visit, other family members traveled in from Alaska. They enjoyed a little over a week together.

The lengthy journey over the North Pacific Ocean back to Anchorage was nearing completion when Jim Haugom got up to visit the restroom. Their daughter, her husband, and their children were seated further back.

Patty Haugom caught the attention of a flight attendant, realizing he had been gone for an extended period. When the attendant opened the lavatory door, Haugom immediately recognized that something was amiss. Her husband was slumped over, unresponsive.

The flight attendant utilized the intercom to request assistance in moving the large man from the cramped space.

“She announced that there was a medical emergency and she needed three strong individuals,” Patty Haugom recalled. “Three men responded, moved him onto the floor, and right across the aisle from us was a heart specialist.”

As the cabin lights stayed dim, a whirlwind of activity surrounded her husband. CPR compressions commenced as passengers assisted Patty Haugom in shielding the situation with blankets.

“I recall standing in that archway, holding my shirt open, attempting to block the view for others,” she stated. “I was simply in shock.”

‘It leaves a mark’

Flight attendants receive training to manage such health crises, as indicated by Heiple.

There are annual refreshers and CPR instruction twice yearly, he mentioned. Aircraft are equipped with AEDs — devices that can administer a shock to restore normal heart rhythm — along with medical kits that contain items ranging from blood-pressure monitors and bandages to controlled substances that necessitate a doctor’s authorization for access.

In cases where a passenger needs urgent medical assistance, the flight crew typically alerts the pilot and requests help from any healthcare professionals on board, Heiple noted. Airlines partner with outside organizations like MedAire to offer immediate guidance from nurses and physicians on the ground.

Should an individual be facing cardiac arrest or a stroke, the crew will persist with life-saving measures until a medical expert officially declares death, Heiple remarked. Flight attendants will attempt to relocate passengers, particularly those with children, who are seated adjacent to someone experiencing a medical crisis.

Heiple has participated in in-flight CPR on three occasions throughout his career. The individuals administering chest compressions will rotate; the task is both physically demanding and emotionally taxing. On occasion, CPR can last for several hours.

“It can be profoundly distressing for the crews,” he stated. “Indeed, I’m becoming a bit emotional discussing this.”

Flight crews assigned to a flight where a fatality occurs are granted seven days of paid leave, as per Heiple. They typically receive a confidential mental health debriefing session.

“Even years down the line, it leaves a mark,” he expressed.

Compassion and respect

The family is uncertain about what triggered Jim Haugom’s medical crisis, but whatever it was transpired very swiftly, according to his wife.

At that moment, she could scarcely comprehend the situation. As her daughter began messaging relatives that Haugom was undergoing CPR on the flight, a fellow passenger sitting in front of Patty Haugom and her daughter turned to them.

She grasped Haugom’s hand and inquired, “Would you like us to pray together?”

Haugom, a parishioner at St. Michael Catholic Church in Palmer, found comfort in that simple act.

“It truly meant so much to me and my daughter,” she stated.

Once the aircraft landed, Haugom accompanied her husband as paramedics transported him into the airport, where he was declared deceased. A police officer guided her. She and her daughter were permitted to stay with Haugom’s body for as long as they wished.

Her daughter has maintained communication with the crew from that flight ever since.

“The passengers were amazing; they truly were. And everyone was just so considerate,” Patty Haugom remarked. “Flight crews endure so much these days. Those individuals deserve every bit of acknowledgment they can receive.”

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