A well-known professor at Duke University died while operating a single-engine aircraft due to a health emergency. A passenger took over the controls and was able to properly land at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. ABC11 reports that Joseph Izatt, the chair of the biological engineering department at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, was piloting the plane. Duke professor Joseph Izatt | Passenger lands little plane at RDU after pilot suffers medical emergency – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham Cardiac arrest. https ://t. co/7yNpFP1uHy — Kelly DNPFunctional/Integrative Med ( @kacdnp91 ) April 10, 2024 From ABC11: Cell phone video from an eyewitness showed those dramatic moments of paramedics loading a person into the back of an ambulance. The video was shot by Evan Caulfield. He was just a few minutes away from dropping his daughter off for a commercial flight. Caulfield is a member of the Fuquay Fire Buffs and regularly listens to his scanner radio. “ I knew I was witnessing something, ” he said. The plane took off around 3:30 p. m. according to Flight Aware, and it returned round 4:50 p.m. According to air traffic control sound, someone in the passenger seat apparently took control of the Cirrus SR-20 after the pilot was” slumped over the controls.” The tail number on the back of the aircraft is registered to Coherent Aviation, which returns to Joseph Izatt’s home in North Raleigh. One of Izatt’s mentors confirmed that he was in control of the scene at the time. R. I. A passenger, P. Joseph Izatt, managed to land the single-engine aircraft safely and quickly at Raleigh Durham International Airport. Died: Age 60 ( April 7, 2024 – USA ) pic. twitter. com/u7fIDs93fi — “Sudden And Unexpected ” ( @toobaffled ) April 11, 2024 We’re sad to hear of the passing of Joseph Izatt, one of the greatest mentors and engineers. He has been an example of kind excellence, and he made us all better https ://t. co/F1fKHRrN3w https ://t. co/DyMDiJM8u0 pic. twitter. com/1v7irGv11h — Melissa Skala ( @melissa_skala ) April 8, 2024 Duke Today wrote: Joseph Izatt, the Michael J. On April 7, the Fitzpatrick Professor of Engineering and dean of Duke’s Department of Biomedical Engineering ( BME) passed away. Izatt has served the university since he first joined Duke in 2001 as a pioneering researcher and through focused service to his students and colleagues. He worked with faculty, staff, and students to ensure the department supported their goals during his tenure as chair of Duke BME and championed the successes of all in the community. In a message Monday to the Duke Engineering community, Pratt School Dean Jerome Lynch celebrated Izatt’s career and leadership. He was a very thoughtful leader who carefully considered every choice with a focus that derived from his strong affection for the BME community. He will miss the integrity and humility he brought as a school leader. Izatt was a skilled researcher and inventor who played a key role in the creation of optical coherence tomography ( OCT). The non-invasive health imaging technique uses visual interferometry to produce beautifully detailed images that aid in diagnosis and treatment decisions by peering through layers of soft tissue, such as the retina at the back of the eye. Izatt’s decades-long integrative collaboration with Dr. Cynthia Toth, a medical doctor and Duke professor of ophthalmology, helped bring this research instantly to patients. The second intraoperative OCT-guided system for surgery and handheld OCT systems for babies were the result of their efforts to increase the accuracy of eye examination and surgery. Inside Edition reports: [[{“value”:”
A prominent Duke University Professor died after a medical emergency occurred while he was piloting a single engine plane.
A passenger managed to land safely after taking over the controls at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
ABC11 reports that Joseph Izatt was the pilot of the plane. He is the chair of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering’s biomedical engineering program.
Passenger lands small plane at RDU after pilot suffers medical emergency – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
Cardiac arrest. https://t.co/7yNpFP1uHy
— Kelly DNPFunctional/Integrative Med (@kacdnp91) April 10, 2024
ABC11:
Eyewitnesses recorded a cell phone video of paramedics loading an unconscious person into an ambulance.
Evan Caulfield shot the video. He was just minutes away from dropping off his daughter for a commercial plane. Caulfield, who is a member of the Fuquay Fire Buffs, is always listening to her scanner radio.
He said, “I knew I had seen something.”
According to Flight Aware, the plane took off at 3:30 pm and returned around 4:50pm.
RDU reported that someone in the passenger’s seat took control of the Cirrus SR-20 Cirrus after the pilot “slumped over” the controls, according to audio from air traffic control.
The tail number of the plane on the back is registered to Coherent Aviation. It returns to a North Raleigh residence and Joseph Izatt.
One of Izatt’s mentees confirmed Izatt’s presence at the controls.
R.I.P Joseph Izatt
A passenger managed to take control of a single-engine plane and make an emergency landing on the Raleigh Durham International Airport.
Died: Age 60 (April 7, 2024 – USA) pic.twitter.com/u7fIDs93fi
— “Sudden And Unexpected” (@toobaffled) April 11, 2024
We’re sorry to hear about the passing of Joseph Izatt. He was one of the best mentors and engineers. He has been an example of kind excellence, and he made us all better https://t.co/F1fKHRrN3w https://t.co/DyMDiJM8u0 pic.twitter.com/1v7irGv11h
— Melissa Skala (@melissa_skala) April 8, 2024
Duke Today wrote
Joseph Izatt passed away on April 7, the Michael J. Fitzpatrick Chair of Engineering at Duke University and the chair of Duke’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Izatt has been a dedicated researcher and a dedicated student since joining Duke in 2001. During his tenure as the chair of Duke BME he worked with faculty, students, and staff to ensure that the department supported the goals of the community.
In a Monday message to the Duke Engineering Community, Pratt School dean Jerome Lynch praised Izatt’s career and leadership. “He was a thoughtful leader who weighed each decision with a care that came from his deep love for BME’s community. He will be remembered for his integrity and humility as a leader in a school.
Izatt, a talented researcher and inventor, played a key role in the development optical coherence imaging (OCT). The non-invasive medical image technique uses optical interferometry, which allows it to peer through layers soft tissue, like the retina at back of the eye. This provides richly detailed images to guide diagnosis and treatment.
Izatt’s decades-long collaboration with Dr. Cynthia Toth – a medical doctor at Duke and professor of ophthalmology – helped bring this research to patients. Their work to improve accuracy of examination and surgical of the eye led them to develop handheld OCT systems and the first intraoperative OCT guided system for surgery.
Inside Edition reports
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