Pilot dies during American Airlines flight, co-pilot lands plane safely
From Fox News
Passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 550 are safe after the pilot died during the early Monday flight and the co-pilot landed the plane, an airline spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.
The Airbus 320 was en-route from Phoenix to Boston and had to be diverted to Syracuse. Before the flight landed there, the first officer called the airport tower and said “American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.”
American Airlines sent a new flight crew from Philadelphia to Syracuse to get passengers to their final destination and all passengers have now arrived in Boston, spokesperson Andrea Huguely said. 147 passengers were onboard.
“American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.”- First Officer
“Our thoughts are definitely with the crew member’s friends and family,” she said. “That is our primary concern at this point, making sure they are taken care of.”
The airline has not yet released details of the medical emergency or the pilot’s identity as his family was just informed of the news, Huguely said.