By Micheal Chukwuebuka, Reporting
An Istanbul-bound Turkish Airlines jetliner made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after the pilot died on board.
Turkish Airlines spokesperson, Yahya Üstün, in a statement, said the 59-year-old pilot, lehin Pehlivan, lost consciousness at some point after Flight TK204 took off from Seattle Tuesday night.
Crew members decided to make an emergency landing and worked to revive the pilot, but he died before the plane landed, Üstün said.
According to ABC13, 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, ABC13 said.
Stonix News learnt that Pehlivan had worked at Turkish Airlines since 2007.
A routine health check in March showed no health problems that would have prevented him from working.
“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.
What's your reaction?
