A LATAM Airlines flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile was diverted to Panama for an emergency landing after the pilot experienced a medical emergency.
On the evening of August 13, one of the pilots, Iván Andaur, 56, began to feel unwell and went to the bathroom, where he suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and died.
The aircraft’s two co-pilots acted immediately, rerouting the plane to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. On board, a nurse and two doctors who were passengers rushed to assist Andaur, but were hampered by a lack of adequate medical supplies on the plane.
The nurse expressed frustration at the airline’s lack of preparedness for medical emergencies.
According to an account from a passenger, one of the co-pilots asked over the intercom if there were any doctors on board, roughly 40 minutes after take-off, and informed passengers of the imminent emergency landing due to the pilot’s illness. After the plane landed, the airline arranged for accommodations for the passengers in Panama City, and they continued their journey on August 15.
LATAM Airlines later released a statement confirming that all required protocols were followed during the incident in an effort to safeguard the pilot’s life.
