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Miami: In an unfortunate incident, emergency landing happened in LATAM flight after its 25-year experienced pilot collapsed in the aircraft’s bathroom, leading to his death mid-air on August 14. According to the reports, the incident occurred on LATAM Airlines flight from Miami to Santiago, nearly three hours after the flight took off at its scheduled time. The airline, in a statement, confirmed the incident and extended condolence to Captain Ivan Andaur’s family who was a seasoned pilot.
According to sources, the aircraft had taken off from Miami at 10:11 pm on Monday carrying at least 271 passengers and had already been en route to its destination when one of its pilots felt uncomfortable.
Although the crew onboard swiftly administered emergency treatment to Captain upon his collapse and the co-pilot diverted the flight LA505 to Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport, he could not be saved. The doctor who checked the captain declared him dead.
Declared brought dead
Airline officials said, “LATAM Airlines Group reports that flight LA505 yesterday, which was on the Miami-Santiago route, had to land at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama due to a medical emergency for one of the three members of the command crew. When the plane landed, emergency services provided life-saving help, but the pilot sadly passed away”.
The airline expressed deep condolences to Captain Andaur’s family and recognized his dedication, professionalism, and invaluable contributions over his lengthy career. The necessary safety protocols were executed throughout the flight to ensure the well-being of all passengers. A day after the incident, the flight resumed its journey to Chile.
However, this was not the first time such an incident happened with a pilot in mid-air. Earlier, a similar incident happened on a Southwest Airlines flight when a pilot fell ill shortly after takeoff. The flight made a return journey to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. Luckily, a pilot, who was travelling as a passenger communicated with the ATC and made their way back to the departure city.
