[BREAKING] Air Canada passengers instantly started praying as plane swerved repeatedly after pilot’s apparent seizure

Horrified Air Canada passengers began praying when their pilot suffered an apparent seizure and the plane swerved violently before the flight made an emergency landing at Boston's Logan Airport.

Witness Rodney McDonald said it appeared the pilot of the flight, operated by Air Canada regional partner PAL Airlines, appeared to have a seizure after the plane left Newark, New Jersey, at 12:39 p.m.

On Wednesday.

"The moment the plane turned, I knew something was wrong because it wasn't turbulence," McDonald told ABC News.

McDonald said he, his wife and two children were among the 61 customers aboard the flight bound for Halifax, Canada.

"The flight started to veer violently.

It really felt like someone had abandoned the controls and then it happened again and again," he added.

"And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying.

My kids started praying instantly." The father was initially separated from the rest of his family on the plane, a twin-turboprop Havilland Dash 8-400, before rushing to help the injured captain, who had been dragged out of the cabin by a flight attendant.

"I sat down with them again and then realized that the pilot was out of control physically, not violently, as if it was clear that he was not in control of his faculties and needed to be restrained.

We worked to control him, it was a pretty grueling 40 minutes keeping him down and using as many seat belts as we could to restrain his legs, arms and chest." Police and airport officials were alerted at 1:40 p.m.

and the plane landed in Boston Logan shortly before 2 p.m., according to data from FlightAware.

"The pilot is incapacitated.

The co-pilot is flying the plane," the Broadcastify audio, obtained by ABC, revealed.

Air traffic controllers at Boston Logan warned other pilots that their runway 27 would be out of service due to "an incoming emergency," the Canadian Press reported.

"During the flight, the captain experienced a medical issue and was removed from the flight deck in accordance with safety protocols," Air Canada told The Post, without specifying the emergency.

"The first officer took control of the plane and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely," the company added.

Ambulances surrounded the plane after it landed and the plane was towed to a gate.

The plane left Boston Logan at 7:30 p.m.

m.

Wednesday and landed in Halifax shortly before 9:30 p.m.

m.

local time.

No further details about the pilot's condition have been released.

Trends Updates - Daily News USA