In-Flight Heart Attack Risk: Does Airline Pilot Age Rule Need Revisiting?

Airline pilots and safety investigators I've spoken with thought the same thing when they first saw news reports that a United Airlines Captain had suffered a heart attack on a flight from Houston to Seattle, which made an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho. First, of course, the hope that the pilot would be alright (unfortunately he later died). Second, the hope that he was not over age 60, which could re-ignite a long, fought battle over the age at which airline pilots have to stop flying.