Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight as crew forced to make emergency diversion to New York

A Turkish Airlines pilot has died while flying a passenger plane from the US to Turkey, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in New York.

İlçehin Pehlivan, the plane’s 59-year-old captain, fainted during the flight from Seattle, Washington, to Istanbul, which reportedly took off at around 7pm on Tuesday.

The crew staged a medical intervention but it was “ineffective”, Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Ustun wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The flight’s co-pilot made an emergency landing in New York – but the captain lost his life before the plane landed.

Flight maps show the plane’s path towards Istanbul before the co-pilot took a sharp diversion.

When Mr Pehlican underwent a “periodic health examination” at the Aviation Medical Centre in March 2024, no health problem was detected which would have prevented him from flying.

Mr Pehlivan had worked at Turkish Airlines for 17 years, Mr Ustun revealed. He was operating an Airbus a350 type aircraft on flight number TK204 at the time of his death.

Mr Ustun said: “As the Turkish Airlines family, we wish God’s mercy upon our captain and patience to his grieving family, all his colleagues and loved ones.”

He added: “Our plane has decided to land in New York, and our passengers’ return home is planned via New York station.”

Last month, an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Guangzhou in China made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport in India due to a medical incident involving a 16-year-old girl who suddenly fell ill.

Despite getting immediate medical attention after the plane landed, the Iraqi girl was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Also in September, a Delta Airlines flight had to return minutes after takeoff as passengers’ noses began bleeding when the cabin failed to pressurize as it climbed high into the air.

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