An 83-year-old passenger who died during a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to San Francisco has been identified as Satyanarayana Pasupuleti from India, according to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office. The incident occurred on July 13, 2025, aboard Flight 79 and initially sparked confusion about the whereabouts of the passenger’s remains.
Pasupuleti was traveling with a medical note when he experienced a severe medical emergency while the aircraft was cruising over Greenland. Flight data shows the Airbus A350 briefly entered a holding pattern while crew members administered CPR and consulted medical personnel on the ground. Two doctors aboard the flight performed life-saving measures, but the passenger was pronounced dead despite medical interventions including CPR and defibrillation.
The flight crew initially considered diverting to Keflavik Airport in Iceland but ultimately decided to continue toward North America. The crew opted to land at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, a major international hub capable of handling emergency landings with adequate medical support and facilities. The urgency to make an emergency landing decreases after a passenger dies, allowing crews to find airports better equipped to handle the situation.
Upon landing at O’Hare at approximately 12 hours after takeoff, the body was reportedly removed from the aircraft according to initial reports. The flight spent about an hour on the ground before resuming its journey to San Francisco, where it arrived at 21:53, approximately five and a half hours later than scheduled.
Initial confusion arose over the location of Pasupuleti’s remains when the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported having no record of receiving the body. Spokesperson Natalia Derevyanny indicated that the office was not notified about the death and had no cases matching the description of the incident. This led to reports suggesting the body had gone missing from Chicago.
Turkish Airlines station manager Ertugrul Gulsen confirmed the diversion to Chicago O’Hare and stated that the passenger’s remains were later placed on a separate flight to San Francisco, though he provided no further details. The airline later clarified that the diversion to Chicago was primarily due to refueling requirements rather than solely for handling the deceased passenger.
Turkish Airlines explained that with the joint decision of the captain and Operations Control Center, and with consent from the passenger’s accompanying relatives aboard the flight, it was decided to proceed to San Francisco without diversion. The airline stated that authorities and police in San Francisco were informed and all necessary procedural preparations were carried out.
The mystery regarding the body’s location was resolved when authorities confirmed that Pasupuleti’s remains had been offloaded in San Mateo County, where San Francisco International Airport is located. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office confirmed it received the body and that the case falls under its jurisdiction since the airport is located primarily in unincorporated San Mateo County.
Upon the flight’s arrival in San Francisco, law enforcement officials met all passengers, crew, and the deceased passenger’s relatives. Statements were taken from crew members and relatives, and official reports were filed. After all passengers disembarked, an autopsy officer arrived and conducted the required reporting process. The airline noted that “the deceased passenger and their relatives onboard were disembarked from the aircraft under the supervision of law enforcement.”
A certified emergency medical technician aboard the flight told the San Francisco Chronicle that he led CPR efforts during the emergency, indicating that airline personnel were not as well versed in such emergencies. The cause of Pasupuleti’s death has not been disclosed by the coroner’s office.
Medical emergencies occur on approximately one in every 600 flights, or 16 per million passengers, according to the CDC. About three out of every 1,000 incidents prove fatal. Nearly all in-flight deaths unrelated to crashes result from cardiac arrest, often from heart conditions worsened by flight stresses including low oxygen levels and immobility.
The International Air Transport Association mandates that deceased passengers must not be removed from aircraft until local authorities arrive. Standard procedures require airlines to handle such situations with dignity, usually by moving the deceased to an isolated area and covering them respectfully. When passengers die aboard commercial flights, only licensed medical personnel on the ground may officially declare death.
