American Airlines Pilot Dies Mid-Flight

A pilot on an American Airlines flight traveling from Phoenix to Boston died in the air Monday, the company said.

“We are incredibly saddened by this event,” a spokesperson told WCVB5. The red-eye flight was re-routed to Syracuse after the death. A new flight crew was sent to Syracuse to take over the flight and oversee the plane’s arrival in Boston.

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“Syracuse, American 550, medical emergency, captain is incapacitated, request handling for runway,” the co-pilot said, according to a transcript of the radio transmission.

The flight carried 147 passengers and a crew of five people.

[WCVB5]

Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com.