A female plane passenger has died while traveling back to the United States after suddenly becoming unwell on the three-and-a-half hour journey.
The 41-year-old woman from Indiana was on her way to North Carolina on Wednesday, February 28, when she fell ill on an American Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic. The flight had to be diverted due to the medical emergency and was diverted to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
A spokesman for the force, Denyse Renne, explained how at around 6.12pm, the force’s control room received an urgent call from the air traffic control tower telling them they needed medical assistance for a woman. At the time of the call the woman was receiving CPR.
Paramedics and other medical teams were sent along with police units to the location of the plane and the patient was transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre – sadly, she died at the facility. Her exact cause of death, or why she was traveling to North Carolina isn’t known yet, but a post-mortem will be conducted in due time. Witnesses reported that the woman was with her husband or a partner on the aircraft.
After a police statement on the matter was issued, Stephanie Quinn, of Jamestown, Indiana, commented that the deceased woman was her sister-in-law and the family are grieving. She said: “We are in disbelief and our hearts are breaking.”
Another person, Melanie McAuley Glab, wrote on Facebook replying Quinn’s comment saying she was also on board the flight and had witnessed her loved one’s final moments before the medical episode, USA Today reports.
Explaining what happened, she wrote: “I had a chance to see your sister-in-law and her husband board and share a laugh. Please know I share my deepest condolences and prayers with all of you during this very difficult unimaginable time.”
Flight records show that the diverted flight left Providenciales the following day and continued on to Charlotte, a hub for American Airlines.
Earlier this month, horrifying footage shows the moment six passengers on an American Airlines flight tackled a man who was allegedly trying to open the door of the plane — in midair. The unruly passenger was pinned down and tied down with duct tape and “flexi-cuffs,” one of the hero passengers revealed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
30 minutes after departing Albuquerque I was shaken out of my Panda Express and Tequila induced stupor by a man trying to aggressively open the airplane door 4 rows back,” wrote user @DonnieDoesWorld.
He continued: “Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him. Just safely landed back in ABQ but HOLY S**T.”
The flight had allegedly been on its way to Chicago from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was just 30 minutes into its journey when the incident unfolded.