Turkish Airlines flight declares emergency after pilot dies in mid-air

Pilot Ilçehin Pehlivan collapsed during the flight

A flight was forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot died in mid-air. Ilçehin Pehlivan lost consciousness on the plane which was heading to Seattle from Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines flight TK204 was diverted to New York but the 59-year-old pilot had died before the plane landed on the morning of Wednesday, October 9. A spokesperson for the airline said it "deeply felt the loss" of Mr Pehivan.

They added: "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."

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Tracking site FlightAware showed the Airbus A350 landed at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York just before 6am local time (11am BST) on Wednesday. Arrangements were being made for passengers to reach their destination, Manchester Evening News reports.

Mr Pehlivan had worked at Turkish Airlines since 2007 and a routine health check in March reportedly showed no health problems that would have prevented him from working.

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