B757-200
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft; Human Factors
Starting descent the Flight Attendant called to tell us that we had a male passenger on board having trouble breathing. Oxygen was being given and a nurse was tending to him. While we were sending messages/making calls for paramedics I noticed the throttles way mis-aligned. The left one simply wouldn't retard. It was binding in the forward position. I turned off autothrottles but that didn't help. We looked and could not find a procedure in the QRH. While considering shutting down the left engine; the airplane was performing fine and I decided not to. The throttles were however severely binding and fighting one another. [We] decided to declare a 'double emergency' with ATC. (I hope one report will suffice?) First; for the medical problem and then for the engine. Told ATC what was going on; that we needed room to do a stable descent and they complied. Shot a normal ILS approach; and aircraft was stable. Upon touchdown I didn't want one engine at 1.25 EPR and the other at idle; so I shut down the left one on roll out. [We] taxied to the gate on one engine followed by fire and police. After the engine was shut down the left throttle did retard and froze stiff in that position. At gate all passengers complied as paramedics tended to the ill passenger. (He walked off on his on power) Passengers then deplaned normally and that was about it.
B757 Captain is informed of a passenger illness during descent for landing then notices that the left throttle has not been retarded by the auto throttles and cannot be retarded manually. An emergency is declared and ATC advised of the issue. With a minimum thrust setting of 1.25 EPR the engine is allowed to run through the approach and landing; and is shut down on the roll out.