NEW YORK — A Turkish Airlines pilot collapsed Wednesday morning and could not be revived during a flight from Seattle to Istanbul, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York, reports say.
Turkish Airlines Flight TK204 took off from Seattle but was diverted to New York about eight hours into the flight, USA Today reports.
In a statement to NBC News, Turkish Airlines says the pilot, İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, “fainted during the flight” and when “medical intervention to our captain on the plane was ineffective,” the co-pilot decided to make the emergency landing at JFK. NBC reports Pehlivan died before the plane landed. He had been with the airline since 2007.
“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,” the airline said in a statement, according to USA Today.
