It amazes me, the news report I read says the escorting jet pilot could see the pilot slumped with the windows starting to frost over and his chest moving so he was breathing, they hoped as the aircraft descended that he might come round and get it down.

He asked 2 times at least for permission to descend because of problems, but was told to wait, why the heck didn’t he simply declare an emergency and do an emergency descent?

see

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29082666