A pilot collapsed and died in the bathroom during a commercial flight from Miami to Chile — prompting an emergency landing in Panama on Sunday night, according to sources aboard the airplane.
Iván Andaur, 56, was at the helm of the Santiago-bound LATAM airlines flight carrying 271 passengers around 11 p.m. when he suffered apparent cardiac arrest, according to the Sun.
His two co-pilots were forced to make an emergency landing at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City — as a nurse and two doctors onboard rushed to save him, the paper reported.
“Unfortunately, we did not have the necessary or sufficient supplies to perform a good resuscitation,” said the nurse, who was identified only as Isadora on social media.
“LATAM needs to improve the issue of protocol in case of health and medical emergencies like this where lives can be saved but the resources are needed.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what “resources” she was referring to.
One passenger said a co-pilot asked if there were any doctors on the plane about 40 minutes after takeoff.
“They told us that we were going to land because the pilot felt sick and when we arrived they asked us to evacuate the plane because the situation had worsened,” said the passenger, who was not identified.
Passengers were booked into hotels in Panama City and the flight resumed on Tuesday.
“All the necessary protocols were followed during the flight to safeguard the life of the
affected pilot. Unfortunately, after landing and receiving further medical assistance, the pilot passed away,” the airline told The Post.
“LATAM Group is deeply saddened by this event and takes this opportunity to express our most
sincere condolences to the family of our employee.”
(The New York Post)
