Pilot dies during American Airlines flight

BOSTON, MA (KTRK) -- The pilot of an American Airlines flight died in the air this morning. It happened on the flight going from Phoenix to Boston.

The Airbus A320 had 147 passengers and a crew of 5 people on board. The flight was diverted to Syracuse and landed there at around 7:13am.

According to American Airlines, one of the flight attendants is also a nurse and tended to the ill pilot. The airline says its 'incredibly saddened' by the pilot's passing and are focusing on taking care of the family member and other crew members.

Recordings of the crew's communications with air traffic control, obtained via liveatc.net, show that someone on the plane called in saying that the "captain is incapacitated" and at another point, saying "pilot is unresponsive, not breathing."

The nature of the pilot's sudden illness has not been disclosed.

Airlines in the United States are required to have two pilots on board, and that was true in this case as well.