Airplane makes emergency landing in New York after pilot dies mid-flight
A Turkish Airlines pilot, İlçehin PEHLİVAN, has died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, United States of America.
The spokesman of the airline, Yahya Ustun, announced the incident in a statement issued on his X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
According to Ustun, the aircraft took off from the western US coastal city of Seattle Tuesday evening before the incident.
”The Captain Pilot of our Airbus 350 type aircraft with the tail registration TC-LGR, operating flight number TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul, İlçehin PEHLİVAN, fainted during the flight.
”When the first medical intervention to our captain on the plane was ineffective, the cockpit crew consisting of 1 captain and 1 co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but our captain lost his life before landing,” he wrote.
Pilot passes medical screening in March
The deceased pilot, 59, had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007. He was said to have passed a medical examination last March, which ruled out any hint of potential health problems, Ustun added.
”Our plane has decided to land in New York, and our passengers’ return home is planned via New York station.
As the Turkish Airlines family, we wish God’s mercy upon our captain and patience to his grieving family, all his colleagues and loved ones,” the airline spokesman added.
