AirTran Airways Diverts Flight after Passenger Dies
A 64-year-old AirTran Airways passenger died during a flight from Las Vegas to Milwaukee on Saturday. This forced the pilot to make an unscheduled landing at Denver International Airport.
Stephen Endes was traveling with his wife when he had a heart attack, according to airport spokeswoman Laura Coale. She confirmed that the flight diverted and the passenger was transported to a Denver Health ambulance immediately upon landing.
The Denver Police Department has conducted an investigation and found that his death was due to natural causes. The medical examiner reported that Endes had a history of heart problems.
Other passengers on the flight were interviewed by police before the flight was allowed to continue. They said that a passenger tried to revive Endes with CPR, while the flight crew also used a portable defibrillator in an attempt to revive him, but these were both unsuccessful. The flight eventually resumed its journey 3-and-a-half hours later.
Quinnie Jenkins, a spokeswoman for AirTran Airways, said that Denver International Airport was the closest airport to the plane for an emergency landing. However, she didn’t give details on how long the flight was in the air before the man died or how the incident was discovered.
Earlier this month, an AirTran Airways flight from Indianapolis to Baltimore was diverted to Dayton after the pilots were warned of a mechanical problem by an indication light. Apparently the cover over the left engine came off during the journey. The service, which was carrying 53 crew and passengers, landed safely, and no one was hurt during the incident.
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