https://www.businessinsider.co...nwell-reports-2023-8



The captain of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner died mid-air after becoming unwell, reports say

Ryan Hogg Aug 16, 2023, 7:25 AM CDT

A LATAM pilot died mid-air after becoming unwell on a flight to Chile, per multiple reports.
The Boeing 787 jet diverted to Panama Tocumen International Airport two hours after leaving Miami.
The South American airline said the captain had been flying for 25 years.


A pilot on a flight from Miami to South America became unwell and died mid-air, according to multiple reports.

LATAM issued a statement to several outlets, including La Republica, El Pais, and BioBio, confirming that flight 505 bound for Santiago, Chile was forced to divert after the captain became ill and later died.

The statement said two co-pilots took control of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and diverted to Panama Tocumen International Airport, but the captain was confirmed dead after the plane landed.

Radio BioBio named the captain as Iván Andaur. LATAM said he'd been a pilot for 25 years.



Data from FlightAware, a website that tracks aircraft movements, showed the Boeing 787 made a sudden descent toward the airport that serves Panama City about two hours into the flight on Monday.

The Aviation Herald reported that the plane was still at the airport 12 hours after landing.

LATAM said in the statement: "We deeply appreciate his 25-year career and his valuable contribution, which was always distinguished by his dedication, professionalism and dedication."

The airline didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.



The death of a pilot in mid-air is a rare occurrence, but in June a "deadhead" pilot traveling as a passenger helped land an Air Canada flight after the captain became "incapacitated," Canada's Transportation Safety Board told Insider.

In August last year, a Jet2 flight made an emergency landing in the UK as a "precautionary measure" after a pilot became unwell.