A LATAM Airlines pilot died during a commercial flight from Miami, Florida to Santiago, Chile, necessitating an emergency landing in Panama.
Iván Andaur, 56, experienced an apparent cardiac arrest while piloting the aircraft around 11 pm on Sunday night, August 13. He collapsed and died in the bathroom after saying he felt ill.
Two co-pilots aboard the flight acted quickly, redirecting the plane for an emergency landing at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
A nurse and two doctors, who were passengers on the flight, immediately rushed to assist Andaur, but the lack of necessary medical supplies hindered their efforts. A nurse lamented that they didn’t have enough supplies to perform a resuscitation.
She further criticized LATAM for not having better protocols in place for health and medical emergencies.
A passenger recounted that about 40 minutes after takeoff, one of the co-pilots asked if there were any doctors on the plane and informed passengers that the plane would land abruptly because one of the pilots fell ill.
The flight’s passengers were accommodated in hotels in Panama City and they resumed their journey on Tuesday, August 15.
LATAM Airlines released a statement confirming that “all the necessary protocols were followed during the flight to safeguard the life of the affected pilot.”
Despite the efforts of medical personnel on the ground, Andaur succumbed to his condition after landing.
