A pilot collapsed and died in the bathroom of a LATAM 787 Dreamliner he was flying forcing his two co-pilots to make an emergency landing.
Iván Andaur, 56, was piloting the plane from Miami, Florida to Santiago, Chile on Sunday night when he began to feel unwell and headed to the toilet.
He then collapsed leaving his two co-pilots to take control of the plane which landed at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
Paramedics rushed to try to help Andaur, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A registered nurse named Isadora said she and another nurse plus two doctors on the plane tried to save his life to no avail.
“Unfortunately, we did not have the necessary or sufficient supplies to perform a good resuscitation,” she said, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Another passenger said the flight departed Miami around 11pm before one of the co-pilots requested medical assistance.
The woman said: “After 40 minutes the pilot asked us if there was a doctor on the plane, we don’t know what happened there.”
She added that a flight attendant asked if any passengers had equipment for someone who was dependent on insulin.
She continued: “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.”
The flight was cancelled and passengers were booked into hotels before continuing their journey the next day.
Andaur was in the Chilean air force before joining LATAM. He was married to Veronica Andaur who passed away in 2017 and is survived by his daughter Sofia Andaur.
LATAM said in a statement: “At LATAM we are deeply moved by what happened and we extend our most sincere condolences to the family of our collaborator.
“We are deeply grateful for his 25-year career and his valuable contribution, who has always stood out for his dedication, professionalism, and commitment.”
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