A LATAM pilot died from a medical emergency Monday while on board a flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile, the airline said.
LATAM Airlines flight 505 was diverted to Tocumen International Airport in Panama so the pilot, one of three members of the crew in command, could receive medical assistance.
"All the necessary protocols were followed during the flight to safeguard the life of the affected pilot," the airline said in a statement. "Unfortunately, after landing and receiving further medical assistance, the pilot passed away."
The airline said it was "deeply saddened by this event" and expressed its "most sincere condolences to the family" of the pilot, who worked at the company for 25 years.
The flight departed Panama City and landed in Santiago around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the airline said.
Passengers applauded the staff members when the plane landed safely, and once again in the airport, according to videos posted on social media.
"There’s a lot that goes on in preparation for these abnormal circumstances to protect passengers," Capt. John Cox, NBC News aviation analyst, said on TODAY. "And as a passenger, that’s probably one thing we can rest assured of and take in comfort, when we do experience something like this."
That incident came a day before a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston to Cancun had to return to Houston's William P. Hobby Airport after experiencing a mechanical issue shortly after takeoff, the airline said in a statement.
Videos posted on social media on Tuesday showed flames shooting out of the plane's engine while it was still airborne. Pilots aboard the plane confirmed one engine had shutdown, according to air traffic control broadcasts.
"The passengers' lives were not in imminent risk," Cox said. "This is an abnormal situation, but it’s one that’s training that we train for."
Southwest said in the statement the flight landed safely and was taken out of service for review, and that a different aircraft continued the flight to Cancun.
