A Turkish Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at New York's JFK on Wednesday morning after the captain died mid-flight, according to airline officials. The Airbus 350 had taken off from the Western US coastal city of Seattle for Istanbul on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun posted on X.
He identified the pilot of the commercial flight TK204 as Ilcehin Pehlivan, who collapsed during the flight. The pilot was 59 years old, according to reports. "After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing," the spokesperson said.
Mid-Air Tragedy as Pilot Dies
The 59-year-old pilot, employed by Turkish Airlines since 2007, had successfully passed a medical exam in March, with no signs of health issues, Ustun noted. The spokesperson added in his statement: "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."
Flight trackers indicate that the jet was flying north over Canada on Tuesday evening before suddenly being diverted.
The aircraft made a turn over Baffin Island and then headed south toward JFK International Airport. The plane reportedly landed safely in New York, and passengers continued their journey to Turkey from JFK.
Not The First Time
This isn't the first time such an incident has happened. Last year, a pilot onboard a Boeing 787 flight collapsed and died in the bathroom during a commercial flight from Miami to Chile, prompting an emergency landing in Panama.
Iván Andaur, 56, was the pilot in command of a LATAM Airlines flight destined for Santiago.
Andaur suffered a cardiac arrest. His two co-pilots were forced to perform an emergency landing at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
During the emergency, a nurse and two doctors who happened to be on board rushed to provide medical assistance in an attempt to save him, according to the report.
However, Andaur couldn't be saved. "Unfortunately, we did not have the necessary or sufficient supplies to perform a good resuscitation," said the nurse, who was identified only as Isadora on social media.
Andaur did midair but the passengers were not told about his death till the flight safely landed in Panama.
In March 2023, a Southwest Airlines flight encountered a similar incident where it had to turn back to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The reason was that one of the pilots became unwell shortly after taking off on a route to Columbus, Ohio.
Remarkably, an off-duty pilot from a different airline happened to be a passenger on the flight. He helped by handling radio communications as the aircraft returned to Las Vegas.
