Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing in NYC

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 Wednesday. The incident occurred after the plane took off from Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on social media .

Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness at some point after Flight TK204 took off from Seattle Tuesday night, Üstün said.

"The pilot of our Airbus 350... flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight," he wrote. "After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing."

A map posted by flight tracking data company FlightAware appears to show the plane flying over northern Canada before diverting south toward New York.

In a statement, the FAA said the flight "landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York around 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 9, after the one of the pilots suffered a medical emergency."

The pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March, during which there was no indication of any health problems, Ustun wrote.

"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," he said.