New York – A Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul was forced to make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after the pilot collapsed and died mid-flight.
Ilcehin Pehlivan, 59, the captain of Flight 204, lost consciousness shortly after the aircraft took off from Seattle on Tuesday night.
Despite medical intervention on board, Pehlivan could not be revived. The flight, an Airbus 350, was taken over by the co-pilot and a second pilot, who successfully diverted the aircraft to New York.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning, according to airline officials.
Turkish Airlines has expressed its deep sorrow over the loss of the pilot, who had been with the airline since 2007.
"On behalf of Turkish Airlines, we deeply feel the loss of our captain and extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family, colleagues, and all his loved ones," Ustun said in a statement.
Emergency landing at JFK
The flight, which had departed Seattle eight hours earlier, landed safely at JFK just before 6 am on Wednesday, as reported by FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. Passengers were informed that arrangements were being made to help them continue their journey to Istanbul from New York.
Pilot's health check earlier this year
Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Ustun confirmed that Pehlivan had undergone a routine health check-up in March, which had revealed no medical issues that would have prevented him from flying.
Pilots are typically required to undergo medical examinations every 12 months, or every six months if they are over the age of 40.