Death in the air: 3 pilots lost their lives within 3 days; 2 in India

New Delhi, Aug 17

In a chilling incident, three pilots lost their lives in India and globally within a span of three days, with two of them passing away due to cardiac arrest in the country.

An IndiGo pilot scheduled for a flight from Nagpur to Pune lost consciousness and collapsed at the boarding gate on Thursday, said the airline official.

He was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

"We are saddened at the passing of one of our pilots in Nagpur earlier today. He took unwell at Nagpur airport and was rushed to the hospital where he unfortunately passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones," IndiGo said in a statement.

On Wednesday, a seasoned pilot from Qatar Airways, who was a passenger on a flight from Delhi to Doha, fell seriously ill during the journey and passed away.

The flight QR 579 was rerouted to Dubai. The Qatar Airways pilot had earlier worked with SpiceJet and Alliance Air.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed the deaths.

Earlier, an airline pilot died after collapsing in the bathroom of a Miami to Chile flight with 271 passengers aboard. Captain Ivan Andaur began feeling unwell three hours into the

LATAM Airlines flight from Florida to Santiago on August 14.

He collapsed in the bathroom, Simple Flying reported. The flight took 30 minutes to divert to Panama City's Tocumen International Airport and first responders declared Andaur, a 25-year veteran pilot, dead when the plane landed.

"LATAM Airlines Group reports that flight LA505, which was on the Miami-Santiago route, had to land at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama due to a medical emergency for one of the three members of the command crew. When the plane landed, emergency services provided life-saving help, but the pilot sadly passed away," the airline had said in a statement.