A 63-year-old United Airlines pilot who had a heart attack mid-flight has died, an Idaho hospital tells The Associated Press.
That came after the captain of United Flight 1603 had a heat attack, prompted the Seattle-bound flight to divert and make an emergency landing in Boise on Thursday evening. An off-duty pilot helped land the plane.
The Boeing 737-900 landed safely there after originating from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to United.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center officals told AP on Friday that the man -- identified as Henry Skillern of Humble, Texas -- arrived alive but died overnight at the hospital.
"I am sad to confirm that our co-worker passed away last night. Our thoughts are with his family at this time," United spokeswoman Christen David says in a statement. The carrier declined to give his name because of privacy reasons.
Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg performed an autopsy on Skillern late Friday morning and confirmed that he died of a heart attack.
Seattle TV station KOMO reports a Flight 1603 passenger says a crew member made an in-flight announcement prior to the emergency landing asking if anyone on the plane was a physician.
The United crew's communication with air traffic control indicated the seriousness of the situation.
"We got a man down, chest compressions going on right now. I'm not sure too much right now the status," a United crew member says in a recorded conversation with air traffic control quoted by KOMO. "Can an ambulance and maybe some air stairs meet us on the runway?"
Two Madigan Army Medical Center doctors onboard performed CPR, according to Jay Ebbeson, a spokesman for the hospital at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Passenger Ken Martin told KOMO a first-year resident doctor sitting next to him volunteered to help perform CPR. She told Martin the pilot appeared to weigh over 300 pounds and was taken into the first class cabin where CPR was performed.
Flight 1603 was carrying 161 passengers and landed in Boise at 8:11 p.m. local time. The passengers continued on to Seattle after waiting in the Boise Terminal while another pilot was flown in from San Francisco, CNN reports.
