Pilot dies in middle of flight to Turkey, forcing emergency New York City landing

A Turkish Airlines pilot died midflight, forcing the co-pilot into an emergency landing in New York City on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Flight 8JK landed safely shortly before 6 a.m. at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, “fainted during the flight,” and when “medical intervention to our captain on the plane was ineffective,” the co-pilot opted to land, Turkish Airlines said in a statement.

Unfortunately, “our captain lost his life before landing,” the airline said. Pehlivan bad been with the airline since 2007.

The Airbus A350 took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 7:02 p.m. PT Tuesday, according to the tracking service FlightAware, and was headed to Istanbul.