Pilot dies in washroom 3 hours after US flight took off with 271 passengers

A veteran pilot of Latam Airlines died after suffering a medical emergency on a flight from Florida, US, to Chile's capital Santiago.

Feeling ill about three hours into the flight, the 56-year-old captain went to the washroom but never returned, according to media reports.

Crew members tried saving him as the plane — with 271 passengers on board — was diverted Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. The diversion took half an hour, but upon landing, emergency responders declared the pilot dead.

The airline confirmed the incident in a statement: "Latam Airlines Group reports that flight LA505 yesterday (August 14), 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."

A relief captain and a first officer took over the cockpit when the incident happened, according to another report.

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