Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forces emergency landing in New York

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, yesterday.

The plane had taken off from the western US coastal city of Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He wrote: “The pilot of our Airbus 350 flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight.

After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing but he died before landing.”

According to the airline management, the 59-year-old pilot, who has worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, passed a medical examination in March, which gave no indication of any health problems.