Captain of Passenger Jet Dies After Takeoff from Seattle Forcing Plane to Land in New York City

A Turkish Airlines pilot died during a flight heading from Seattle to Istanbul, the airliner confirmed.

Captain İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, “fainted” mid-flight and died before the jet was able to make an emergency landing in New York City in the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 9, a Turkish Airlines spokesperson shared in a statement. 

Spokesperson Yahya Üstün wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “When the first medical intervention to our captain on the plane was ineffective, the cockpit crew consisting of 1 captain and 1 co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but our captain lost his life before landing.”

The scheduled 12-hour flight from Seattle to Istanbul was rerouted to New York by the decision of the co-pilot. Passengers were rescheduled to fly from there to Istanbul, the airliner shared.

“As the Turkish Airlines family, we wish God's mercy upon our captain and patience to his grieving family, all his colleagues and loved ones,” the statement concluded. 

Pehlivan had been working with Turkish Airlines since 2007.

His last periodic health examination was taken on March 8 and showed no signs of health problems that would affect his work, according to the airliner.

Tracking data company website FlightAware posted a map of the redirected flight appearing to head north over northern Canada and then turning in the opposite direction south as it headed to New York.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told PEOPLE in a statement that the rerouted plane "landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York around 6:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 9, after one of the pilots suffered a medical emergency. The Airbus A350 departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was headed to Istanbul."