A Turkish Airlines flight was rerouted to New York on Wednesday morning following the death of one of its pilots.
Flight 204, en route from Seattle to Istanbul, made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport around 6 a.m. after “one of the pilots experienced a medical emergency,” as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Capt. İlçehin Pehlivan “lost consciousness” during the flight, and after attempts at medical assistance failed, the co-pilot redirected the plane to JFK, where the Airbus A320 landed safely, as stated by the airline.
Turkish Airlines also reported that Pehlivan passed away before the aircraft landed. The flight had two additional pilots on board due to its long-haul international status.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel were waiting for the aircraft, according to airport officials.
Pehlivan, 59, had been employed by Turkish Airlines since 2009. His most recent routine health examination took place on March 8, 2024, with no issues identified that would have hindered his ability to perform his pilot duties, according to the airline.
Yahya Üstün, the senior vice president of media relations at Turkish Airlines, shared his condolences in a post on X, stating, “We deeply feel the loss of our captain and extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family, colleagues, and all his loved ones.”
The airline is also making arrangements to rebook affected passengers on new flights from New York.
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Unfortunately for him, I’ll bet he was vaxxed and boosted several times due to the airlines “mandate” to be so if he wanted to keep his job. The blame for this one’s directly on Turkish Airlines.
Possibly effects of Covid JAB?