Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight as plane forced to make emergency landing in New York

A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the passenger plane to make an emergency landing in New York, USA

A pilot has died mid-flight forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.

The Turkish Airlines plane took off from Seattle in the USA at around 7pm yesterday and was forced to land at New York. It was originally bound for Istanbul before tragedy struck.

An airline spokesman said: "The pilot of our Airbus 350... flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight.

"After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing."

The spokesman said the 59-year-old pilot, Ilcehin Pehlivan, had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007. They added he had passed a medical examination in March, which gave no indication of any health problems.

The spokesman added: "We wish God's mercy upon our captain and patience to his grieving family, all his colleagues and loved ones."

It is not clear how many passengers were onboard at the time. It landed successfully at JFK airport in New York shortly before 6am local time today (about 11am BST).

The original flight from Seattle to Istanbul should have taken around 11 hours. The Turkish Airline plane was diverted after around eight hours flying time.