New York - An American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Boston made an emergency landing in Syracuse in upstate New York after one of the pilots fell ill and died early on Monday, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the airline confirmed to Xinhua that 147 passengers and five crews were on board American Flight 550, when a pilot became ill in mid-flight and the plane was forced to land in Syracuse shortly after 7am local time (12.00 GMT) on Monday.
The co-pilot of the Airbus A320 took control of the plane after the captain became incapacitated, and a replacement crew took over the flight in Syracuse and made it to Boston after noon.
“Unfortunately, our pilot passed away,” American Airlines said in a statement.
“We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot's family and colleagues.
”The pilot's name has not been made public and there's no word yet on the cause of his death.
Xinhua