An American Airlines pilot died during a flight despite desperate attempts by flight attendants to resuscitate him.
The pilot of Flight 550 became “incapacitated” Monday morning while flying from Phoenix to Boston.
A flight attendant, a former nurse, reportedly tried to resuscitate him, but he died before the plane landed.
The overnight flight took off at 12:08 a.m. MST, was rerouted to Syracuse, and landed around 7:10 a.m. EST.
In an air traffic control recording, the co-pilot can be heard reporting the emergency, saying, “Medical emergency, pilot incapacitated. Requesting response to runway 108.”
Emergency services met the Airbus A320 on the ground at Syracuse airport, and a few hours later it continued its journey to Boston’s Logan International Airport.
There were five crew members, including the pilot, and 147 passengers on board.
Twitter users on board took to the social media site to express their sadness over the incident.
Stuck in Syracuse due to pilot illness and plane diversion. Just a reminder that the worst happens and we are not to blame 😝
— Lulusaurus Rex (@lulakilla) October 5, 2015
Pilot died on a late night flight to Boston (4 hours in Syracuse). Life is short. Do what you love before it’s too late.
— Lulusaurus Rex (@lulakilla) October 5, 2015
“Pilot died on late night flight to Boston (4 hours in Syracuse). Life is short. Do what you love before it’s too late,” one passenger wrote.
A spokesperson for the airline told ABC News the company was “deeply saddened” and was focused on caring for those involved and crew.
The pilot’s name and cause of death have not been released.