A Turkish Airlines flight en route to San Francisco was diverted to Chicago after a passenger reportedly died during the flight.
Flight TK79 departed from Istanbul just before 2:30 pm local time and was in the air for almost 12 hours before the emergency landing.
The passenger first began experiencing a ‘severe medical emergency’ as the plane flew over Greenland, according to Aviation A2Z.
In response to the passenger’s condition, the crew prepared to land at Keflavik Airport in Iceland.
Flight attendants performed CPR on the passenger, and consulted medical personnel on the ground via radio.
Despite the crew’s efforts, the passenger died in the air and the pilots reassessed an emergency landing.
Flight staff decided to land at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where medical personnel could handle the passenger’s body.
Since the passenger was already pronounced dead in the air, there was less urgency to land outside of US territory.
A Turkish Airlines flight was diverted to Chicago after a passenger suffered a medical emergency and died in the air (file photo)
The flight was en route to San Francisco International Airport (pictured) but was forced to make an emergency landing (file photo)
The flight departed Istanbul Atatürk Airport (pictured) just before 2:30 pm and was forced to emergency land 12 hours later (file photo)
According to flight logs, the plane landed in Chicago at 6:20 pm and was grounded for an hour before taking off for San Francisco.
Aviation A2Z reported that passengers on the flight witnessed the CPR efforts, and flight attendants held up blankets to protect the passenger’s privacy.
Daily Mail reached out to Turkish Airlines for more information on the medical emergency.
Airlines have strict protocol when addressing a death during a flight. According to the International Air Transport Association, cabin crew are required to perform CPR until the patient’s breathing continues, it becomes unsafe for staff, all rescuers are too exhausted, the aircraft has landed, or the person is presumed dead.
A patient may be presumed dead if they received CPR for at least 30 minutes with no signs of life.
After a passenger is presumed dead, staff are advised to either move their body to a seat or put them in a body bag.
If the airplane doesn’t have a body bag on board, flight attendants can cover the body with a blanket.
The passenger began experiencing a medical emergency over Greenland, prompting the crew to prepare for a landing in Iceland before the patient died (Pictured: Flight TK79’s path)
The flight was diverted to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (pictured) due to the airport’s capacity to handle emergencies (file photo)
Last October, passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight were faced with a horrifying reality when the pilot died in the air.
Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness while the plane was en route from Istanbul to Seattle.
The co-pilot safely managed to emergency land the plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Üstün said in a statement at the time that Pehlivan had already died when the flight landed.
‘As Turkish Airlines, we deeply feel the loss of our captain and extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family, colleagues, and all his loved ones,’ Üstün said.
Fatalities on airplanes are rare, but do occur, with the National Transportation Safety Board citing 6,354 deaths on general aviation flights from 2008 to 2023.
