A Turkish Airlines pilot suddenly died mid-flight forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in New York, it emerged on Wednesday.   

In a statement, a spokesperson of the airline said that the plane took off from the western US coastal city of Seattle on Tuesday evening,

Taking X, the airline’s spokesman Yahya Ustun 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.”

Ustun further said that the 59-year-old pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March, which gave no indication of any health problems.