Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing in New York

A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, the airline said Wednesday. The incident occurred after the plane took off from Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on social media.

"The pilot of our Airbus 350... flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight," he wrote. "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."

A map posted by flight tracking data company FlightAware appears to show the plane flying over northern Canada before diverting south toward New York.