NEW DELHI – In a tragic turn of events, a pilot died after collapsing in the bathroom of a commercial flight with 271 passengers on board.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off from Miami to Santiago’s capital Chile; however, it had to make an emergency landing in Panama on Sunday night after the pilot named Ivan Andaur collapsed in the toilet and eventually died.
Andaur – a veteran pilot with an experience of 25 years – began feeling unwell three hours after the LATAM Airlines flight took off and was also given emergency treatment by the crew as a co-pilot issued an urgent request for any available doctors on board but they were unable to resuscitate Andaur.
When the plane landed at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport, medical experts rushed to examine the 56-year-old pilot but eventually declared him dead.
“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 said in a statement.
“We are deeply moved by what has happened, and we extend our sincere condolences to the family of our employee. We are deeply grateful for his 25-year career and his valuable contribution, which was always distinguished by his dedication, professionalism, and dedication. During the flight, all the necessary safety protocols were carried out to safeguard the life of the affected pilot,” it further said.
The flight resumed the next day, landing at Santiago around 4 am and passengers were given hotel accommodation for the time they had to wait for resumption of the flight.
