American Airlines Plane Diverts to New York after Pilot’s Death Mid-Air

Sunday, October 18, 2015

By George Hatcher

American Airlines Flight 550 diverted and made an emergency landing at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, New York, at around 7:13 A.M. on October 17.
The Airbus A320, en-route to Boston, Massachusetts, from Phoenix, Arizona, had to be diverted due to a medical emergency involving death of the pilot, Mr. Johnston, mid-air.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 147 passengers aboard remained unhurt.

An earlier pilot death:

Pilot who died on Boston-bound flight had double bypass surgery

Plane diverted to Syracuse after pilot's death

UPDATED 6:01 AM EDT Oct 06, 2015

BOSTON —An American Airlines pilot who died on a flight from Phoenix to Boston on Monday has been identified.

Phoenix-based Capt. Michael Johnston fell ill while piloting Flight 550 and died, American Airlines said. He was 57.

Watch report

Johnston's wife told CNN affiliate KUTV that he had a double bypass surgery in 2006. She said she was told he likely died of a heart attack. 

After Johnston died, the plane was diverted and made an emergency landing in Syracuse.

"Syracuse, American 550, medical emergency, captain is incapacitated, request handling for runway," a transcript of the co-pilot's radio transmission said.

There were 147 passengers and a crew of five on board American Flight 550.

"We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot's family and colleagues," the airline statement said.

Another crew was sent to Syracuse to fly the plane to Boston.

"I want to take a moment to thank Mike's crewmembers on Flight 550," the airline said. "They took extraordinary care of Mike, each other and our customers. We couldn't be more proud of the teamwork this crew showed during an extremely difficult time."

Passenger Louise Anderson, who was heading from Reno, Nevada, to Boston via Phoenix, said she had dozed off on the flight.

"What I woke up to was the flight attendant telling us we were making an emergency landing because the pilot was ill," she said.

She said rumors were circulating of the pilot's death in the Syracuse airport, but they were only confirmed by an announcement on the makeup flight to Boston.

Passengers said the mood on board was somber.

"We'll never know what happened in that cockpit, but I think the co-pilot did a great job," passenger Frank Cacciola, of North Andover, said.

Airline pilots must pass a physical exam every 12 months -- every six months for captains if they are 40 or older.

Steve Wallace, who led the FAA's accident-investigations office from 2000 to 2008, said it is rare for a pilot to become incapacitated.

"What is important is the consistent result - the plane lands safely," Wallace said. "The co-pilot is fully qualified to fly the airplane. It's rare, but they train for it."