A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, leading to an emergency landing in New York, the airline announced on Wednesday.
The flight had departed from Seattle on Tuesday evening, as confirmed by airline spokesperson Yahya Ustun on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The pilot of our Airbus A350, flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul, collapsed during the flight,” he stated.
“After an unsuccessful attempt to provide first aid, the remaining flight crew, including another pilot and the co-pilot, decided to make an emergency landing, but the pilot passed away before they could land.”
The 59-year-old pilot had been with Turkish Airlines since 2007 and had recently passed a medical examination in March, which indicated no health issues, according to Ustun.