NEW YORK: An American Airlines pilot became ill and died during a flight from Phoenix to Boston on Monday but the co-pilot was able to safely land the plane, the US carrier said.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320 with 147 passengers and a five-member crew on board, was diverted to Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York state.

“Unfortunately, our pilot passed away. We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot’s family and colleagues,” American Airlines said in a statement.

American did not provide any details on the cause of death.

Flight 550 left Phoenix, Arizona at 11:55 pm local time and landed in Syracuse at 7:13 am local time.

A replacement crew was sent to Syracuse to shuttle the passengers to Boston.

Published in Dawn, October 6th , 2015

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