Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing after pilot's death

A Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing at New York's Kennedy International Airport after the pilot died early Wednesday, the airline and federal aviation authorities said.

According to FlightAware data, the plane, an Airbus A350, took off at 7:02pm Pacific time on Tuesday. The pilot, Ilchehin Pehlivan, lost consciousness during the flight, the airline said, and after unsuccessful attempts to revive him, the decision was made to land at JFK after about eight hours in the air. The plane, Flight 204, was over Baffin Island in northern Canada when it made a sharp right turn and headed for New York. It landed there at 5:57 Eastern.

Mr. Pehlivan, 59, died before landing, the airline said, without specifying a cause. The airline said he underwent regular health checks, including one in March this year, and found no problems.

The airline said arrangements were being made to pick up passengers on other flights to Istanbul.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the episode in a statement and said “a pilot suffered a medical emergency.” The agency referred additional questions to the airline.