A passenger plane pilot ended up collapsing during the middle of a flight and died before the aircraft could make an emergency landing.
According to reports from local media outlets, the Turkish Airlines flight was forced to land at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday.
The Airbus 350 took off from the western US coastal city of Seattle that was bound for Istanbul but during the middle of the flight, the pilot collapsed.
Despite receiving immediate medical attention on board including CPR, he was unable to come back to life. This forced the flight to request clearance to land in New York.
The victim was identified as Ilcehin Pehlivan who was a senior member of the squad with vast experience in the world of flying.
The airline did release a statement to provide more clarification of the incident. They added how the pilot was given first aid but it was not successful. On that note, the flight crew of another pilot and co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing but he died before the aircraft could hit the ground.
The pilot who worked for Turkish Airlines since the start of 2007 passed a medical examination and was declared fit to fly. He also had no history or indications of any health problems.