In a mid-air tragedy, an American Airlines captain died during a flight from Phoenix to Boston, forcing his co-pilot to make an emergency landing in Syracuse, New York, officials said.
Captain Michael Johnston, 57, was piloting the Airbus A320 plane with 147 passengers and five crew members when he became gravely ill and later died. The co-pilot then took control of the plane and landed the jet safely.Crew members “took extraordinary care of Mike, each other and our customers,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said in a statement sent to employees
American Flight 550 left Phoenix at 11:55 pm local time on Sunday and was diverted mid-flight, landing shortly after 7 am, American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said.
An autopsy and preliminary toxicology tests “showed that the death was the result of natural diseases,” the Onondaga County, New York, said.