A Turkish Airlines flight that departed from Seattle to Istanbul had to make an emergency landing at John F Kennedy Airport in New York, after the aircraft’s pilot, Ilcehin Pehlivan, 59, died mid-flight.
Flight 8JK of Turkish Airlines landed in New York at around 6 a.m. local time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that after initial onboard medical treatment to help the 59-year-old pilot of the Airbus A350-900, a co-pilot took over the plane and successfully landed it. Pehlivan had lost consciousness while on the plane.
Mr. Pehlivan had been a pilot at Turkish Airlines since 2007, and in his last routine check, in March, there were no issues found.
Turkish Airlines put out a statement regarding the tragic death of the pilot
After Mr. Pehlivan’s unexpected death was confirmed, Turkish Airlines put out a statement honoring their former captain.
“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,” said the statement.
The airline has also confirmed that arrangements are already being made for passengers to complete their journey to Istanbul out of JFK Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration also requires by law that two crew members are in the cockpit at all times, and pilots over 40 are required to get two physical examinations every year.
The FAA has a procedure for these types of emergencies
In the event of the captain of an aircraft dying mid-flight, the first step is for the co-pilot to take control of the aircraft. Then, the co-pilot will declare an emergency, and he usually does so by communicating with air traffic control. Thus, the aircraft, like the Turkish Airlines flight, will get priority landing.
Air Traffic Control will then coordinate with the co-pilot, who’s now in charge of the aircraft, to find the nearest suitable airport for the emergency landing. In this case, JFK was picked as the most suitable option.
After the emergency landing protocol is activated, the pilot would also likely request medical assistance for his colleague. The flight attendants are also key in this situation because they will be in charge of checking the incapacitated pilot and notifying flight command of the severity of the situation.
Finally, the crew would inform the passengers of the situation.
The FAA deems it crucial that when this is done, maintaining the calm of those aboard is key, so that the situation can be dealt with in an effective way while ensuring the safety of everyone aboard the aircraft.