A pilot aboard a plane flying from Bangkok to Novosibirsk in western Siberia died of a heart attack, transportation prosecutors said Friday.
Sergei Golev, 44, suffered the attack in the cabin and died despite all resuscitation attempts – eEven a cardiologist who was among the passengers on the flight was unable to revive him.
Fortunately the 239 passengers on board tUTair’s Boeing 757 landed safely in Novosibirsk despite Golev’s death.
Death in the air: Pilto Sergei Golev died aboard the UTair Boeing 757 from Bangkok to Novosibirsk
The captain attempted an emergency landing in the Chinese city of Chengdu, but abandoned it because Golev died before the plane landed.
Lead researcher Anastasia Utochkina told Life News: ‘The co-pilot died at 00:25 Novosibirsk time (17:25 GMT), three hours after takeoff.
«The captain made the decision to descend, while the crew called a doctor who was among the passengers over the tannoy.
“However, their attempts to revive the man, who was lying on the floor of the cabin, failed.”
Safe landing: 239 passengers were taken to the final destination of Novosibirisk airport despite Golev’s death
Airport officials insist that the co-pilot was simply traveling as a passenger and was in no way or at any time in control of the aircraft.
Irina Levit, press officer of Novosibirsk Airport: ‘The deceased pilot was traveling as an ordinary passenger.
“The plane belongs to the UTair airline company, where Sergey Golev worked. “There was no threat to the passengers.”
Golev was a crew member, a reserve pilot, tasked, ironically, with replacing a crew member should he fall ill.
The Investigation Department of the Russian transport authority has launched an investigation into the case in an effort to discover the cause of the incident.