Emergency landing came too late

Turkish Airlines: Pilot died during the flight

A Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 (symbolic photo)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Dramatic flight from Seattle to Istanbul: Despite immediate first aid measures taken by the crew, the pilot of a Turkish Airlines plane died during the flight. The plane had to make an emergency landing in New York.

The Airbus A350-900 was on its way to Istanbul when the pilot fainted at a cruising altitude of around 11,880 meters above Canada. Despite immediate first aid measures by the crew, the pilot's condition did not improve, as reported by Bild.

The two other pilots in the cockpit then decided to initiate an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Captain died before landing
The captain, Ilkikhin Pehlivam, died before landing at the age of 59. Turkish Airlines spokesman Yahya Üstün confirmed the tragic incident and expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased.

Deceased pilot: last health check in March
Pehlivam had been employed by the airline since 2007 and was not previously known to have any health problems. His last health check in March 2024 at the Aviation Medical Center had not revealed any concerns that would have spoken against his deployment in the cockpit.

The passengers on the flight in question will now be flown back to Istanbul via New York. In a statement, Turkish Airlines expressed its sadness at the loss of its long-serving captain and offered its condolences to his family.