A Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport early Wednesday morning after the captain died onboard, CNN reports.
According to airline spokesperson Yahya Üstün, Captain İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness at some point after flight 204 took off from Seattle on Tuesday night. Despite medical intervention, the captain could not be revived and passed away before the plane landed.
The co-pilot made the decision to divert the Airbus A350 to New York, where it landed just before 6 a.m. FlightAware data confirmed the emergency landing.
Arrangements are currently being made for the passengers to continue their journey to Istanbul from New York.
Captain Pehlivan had been with Turkish Airlines since 2007. A routine health check in March showed no health issues that would have prevented him from flying.
“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,” said Üstün.
The incident is currently under investigation.
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