Pilot Dies Mid-Flight Causing Emergency Landing

A pilot of a Turkish Airlines jetliner died during midflight, sparking an emergency landing.

Turkish Airlines pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, died during midflight shortly after his flight departed from Seattle.

After Pehlivan lost consciousness, the crew onboard attempted to revive him but had no success.

After Pehlivan had the medical emergency, the co-pilot took control and made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

🚨TURKISH AIRLINES PLANE MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT JFK AFTER PILOT DIES MID-FLIGHT

A Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing at JFK early Wednesday after the 59-year-old captain collapsed and died onboard.

Despite efforts to administer first… pic.twitter.com/WZkEgxx7Fw

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 9, 2024

Turkish Airlines flight makes an emergency landing at New York’s JFK after the captain dies onboard, airline officials have said.

The 59-year-old pilot was identified as Ilcehin Pehlivan.

The Airbus A350-900 was heading from Seattle to Istanbul when it made the diversion.… pic.twitter.com/2TNsgm30Wo

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 9, 2024

Check out what CNN reported:

A Turkish Airlines jetliner headed from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after the captain died on board, an airline official said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness at some point after flight 204 took off from Seattle on Tuesday night, Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Üstün said in a statement.

Medical intervention failed to revive the captain, and the co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but the captain died before the plane landed, Üstün said.

Data from the tracking site FlightAware shows that the Airbus A350 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport just before 6 a.m.

Arrangements were being made for passengers to reach their destination from New York, the airline spokesperson said.

Pehlivan had worked at Turkish Airlines since 2007, Üstün said. A routine health check in March showed no health problems that would have prevented him from working, he 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,” Üstün said.

Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing in New York – CBS News https://t.co/KbxSu0nr2Z

— Edward Dowd (@DowdEdward) October 9, 2024

Per CBS:

A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, the airline said Wednesday. The incident occurred after the plane took off from Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on social media.

Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness at some point after Flight TK204 took off from Seattle Tuesday night, Üstün said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The pilot of our Airbus 350… flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight,” he wrote. “After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing.”

A map posted by flight tracking data company FlightAware appears to show the plane flying over northern Canada before diverting south toward New York.

In a statement, the FAA said the flight “landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York around 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 9, after the one of the pilots suffered a medical emergency.”