BBC has reported the death of a Turkish Airlines pilot who died after becoming ill on his own flight from Seattle on the north-west coast of the United States to Istanbul.
According to the airline spokesperson Yahya Ustun, the 59 years old Captain Ilcehin Pehlivan reportedly collapsed mid-air and a second pilot and co-pilot took over the controls.
In Ustun words: “When first aid to our captain on the plane was unsuccessful, the cockpit crew… decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing.”
Adding that Airbus A350 plane landed in New York and plans were then made to fly the passengers on to Turkey from there.
BBC stated that Flight TK204 took off from Seattle shortly after 19:00 Pacific Time on Tuesday evening. The pilot appears to have got into trouble over the Canadian territory of Nunavut, before his colleagues took over and headed for John F Kennedy airport.
The first officer took over and made an emergency landing in Syracuse. The plane landed in New York about eight hours after leaving Seattle.
The Airline explained that the deceased pilot had flown with Turkish Airlines since 2007 and had been given a regular health check in early March, which found no health problem that might affect his job. Pilots have to undergo medical exams every 12 months, while those aged over 40 have to renew their medical certificates every six months
At the moment, two pilots are required to be in the cockpit of a large commercial plane at all times.
However, the EU’s aviation safety agency says technology is being developed to enable a single pilot to operate large passenger planes during the cruise phase of a flight. Such a move would allow other members of the cockpit to rest, although the agency stressed there needed to be measures to ensure safety and to respond to crew becoming “incapacitated”.
The European Cockpit Association and other pilots’ groups have joined forces to challenge the initiative, arguing that reducing the crew at any time would gamble with safety on board.
With the cause of death yet to be released, Turkey’s air traffic controllers’ association, TATCA disclosed the deceased served the aviation community for many years and offered its condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.