American Airlines flight makes emergency landing after pilot dies onboard

She said on Twitter: “The pilot died on our redeye back to Boston (leading to 4h in Syracuse)”.

An American Airlines pilot who became gravely ill while flying from Phoenix to Boston and later died has been identified.

In an email statement, American Airlines told: ‘Unfortunately, our captain passed away.

Jackson said Flight 550 left Phoenix Sky Harbor global shortly before midnight on Sunday, but was diverted “due to pilot illness”.

Many expressed gratitude to the co-pilot who calmly took over and successfully landed the plane carrying 147 passengers.

An American Airlines flight that had set off from Phoenix, Arizona that was bound for Boston made an emergency landing at Syracuse’s Hancock worldwide Airport this morning.

The co-pilot landed the plane after the mid-air emergency while desperate colleagues unsuccessfully tried to revive the captain. He requested a runway to land. The flight’s first officer took control of the airbus, and sent an emergency message to ground control before the flight was safely rerouted to Syracuse.

The autopsy examination and preliminary toxicology testing showed that the death was the result of natural causes. But the European Aviation Safety Agency has since recommended there should always be two people in the cockpit at any time.

Passengers on Flight 550 reportedly said there was a quick descent, but the plane stabilized after a little turbulence.

His wife Betty Jean said Johnston had double bypass surgery in 2006.

She said the mood on board then was somber, but commended the crew’s handling of the situation.

Several passengers recalled being told they were making an emergency landing because one of the pilot was sick, but confirmed the worse with their own eyes when they were waiting to reboard in Syracuse and saw a medical examiner wagon and a gurney roll up to the plane.

James Record, a former airline pilot who now teaches aviation at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York told AP that there was likely minimal risk to the passengers and crew as the co-pilot was obviously qualified to fly the jet solo.

The setback mandated the pilot having to undergo a physical every six months to make sure he was healthy enough to fly.

Modern airliners are capable of largely flying themselves.

“He loves flying. He is very loving and caring, and he’ll do anything for anybody – bend over backwards, try and help out anyone as much as he can”. There is a debate in aviation circles about whether over-reliance on automation is eroding the manual flying skills of pilots.