(Bloomberg) -- A Turkish Airlines pilot died mid-flight while the aircraft was en route from Seattle to Istanbul on Wednesday, according to the airline.
The captain, identified by the carrier as 59-year-old Ilcehin Pehlivan, fainted after the Airbus 350 aircraft took off from Seattle, the airline said in a statement. After an initial medical intervention failed to improve his condition, the cockpit crew decided to make an emergency landing in New York, though Pehlivan passed away before the aircraft touched down, the carrier said.
Pehlivan had worked at Turkish Airlines since 2007. He last underwent a periodic medical examination in March, which produced no issues that would have prevented him from performing his duties, the airline said.
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