A Turkish Airlines flight en route from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after the sudden death of its pilot mid-flight.
The Airbus flight was forced to divert to New York after the 59-year-old pilot, Ilcehin Pehlivan, lost consciousness during the journey. According to Turkish Airlines, Pehlivan was reportedly in good health and had undergone regular medical examinations, as required for all pilots.
The BBC notes that pilots must have annual medical exams to ensure their fitness to fly, and those over the age of 40 are required to renew their medical certifications every six months.
When Pehlivan became unresponsive, the flight crew decided to execute an emergency landing. “The flight’s crew decided to make an emergency landing when they were unable to revive him,” a Turkish Airlines spokesperson told the BBC.
Tragically, Pehlivan passed away before the plane could land, although the exact cause of death has yet to be disclosed.
This incident undoubtedly created a tense and frightening situation for the passengers and crew aboard the aircraft. Fortunately, despite the circumstances, the plane landed safely in New York.
This event is similar to another emergency landing that occurred in New York nearly a decade ago. In 2015, an overnight flight from Phoenix to Boston had to divert to Syracuse when its 57-year-old pilot died in the cockpit. As in the more recent Turkish Airlines case, the first officer assumed control of the aircraft and safely landed the plane.
Although the specifics of who managed the landing during this recent incident remain undisclosed, it is likely that the first officer took over, following guidelines set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other global aviation authorities, which mandate that two individuals must be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight.
After this incident, the European Union is considering changes to its two-pilot rule in aviation, especially with new technology from Airbus that may permit single-pilot operations during cruise phases. The EU’s aviation agency contends that this change could enable crew members to rest on long-haul flights.
However, incidents like the Turkish Airlines emergency underscore the dangers of reducing the number of pilots onboard. Since having only one pilot could result in severe consequences.