A packed passenger jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in New York after the plane’s pilot died suddenly.
The pilot has been identified as 59-year-old Ilcehin Pehlivan.
Pehlivan dropped dead mid-flight while flying a Turkish Airlines plane from Seattle to Istanbul.
Turkish Airline spokesman Yahya Ustun said Pehlivan unexpectedly passed over the aircraft controls to his co-pilot as he was losing consciousness.
He then collapsed in the cockpit and was unresponsive.
The plane’s crew desperately tried to perform CPR on the captain but it failed to work.
Flight TK204 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Emergency responders rushed on board but were too late and the pilot was declared dead.
The plane landed at the New York airport approximately eight hours after leaving Seattle.
The Airbus A350-900 was heading from Seattle to Istanbul, Turkey.
Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows the plane made an extreme turn toward the Big Apple.
Flight trackers show the jet flying north over Canada on Tuesday evening before it was abruptly diverted.
It is seen turning around over Baffin Island before heading south to JFK International Airport.
Extending condolences to the captain’s family, Ustun said:
“As Turkish Airlines, we deeply feel the loss of our captain and extend our sincere condolences to his bereaved family, colleagues, and all his loved ones.”
TK204 sefer sayılı Seatle- İstanbul seferini icra eden TC-LGR kuyruk tescilli Airbus 350 tipi uçağımızın Kaptan Pilot’u İlçehin PEHLİVAN, sefer esnasında baygınlık geçirmiştir. Kaptanımıza uçakta yapılan ilk doktor müdahalesi sonuçsuz kalınca 1 kaptan ve 1 yardımcı pilottan…
— Yahya ÜSTÜN (@yhyustun) October 9, 2024
The spokesman added that the captain, who had flown with Turkish Airlines since 2007, was extremely fit and did not have any such medical issues.
Pilots above the age of 40 undergo full body tests every six months.
Pehlivan had a rigorous health checkup done in March this year.
The cause of his death has not been released.
The plane is said to have landed safely in New York, with passengers continuing their journey to Turkey via JFK.
The incident comes months after the wife of a pilot had to push for an emergency landing after her husband suffered a heart attack mid-air.
Kinane Wells, who had no flying experience, took the matter into her own hands and got a detailed brief from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC).
The couple was en route from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas to Monterey, California, on a Beechcraft King Air 90 aircraft.
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