A pilot has died on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul, sparking an emergency landing in New York.
Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness at some point after flight TK204 took off from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on the west coast of the United States just after 7pm PDT on Tuesday, Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Üstün said.
After he could not be revived, a decision was made by a second pilot and co-pilot to make an emergency landing.
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The Airbus A350-900 appeared to divert to John F. Kennedy International Airport about four and a half hours into the flight before landing just before 6am EDT. Pehlivan was declared dead on arrival.
The pilot had worked at Turkish Airlines since 2007 and a routine health check in March showed no health problems that would have prevented him from working, Üstün said.
“As 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,” he added.
The cause of his death has not been released.
Arrangements have been made for passengers to reach their destination from New York.
– with AP