Shortly after takeoff, the man lost consciousness, forcing Turkish Airlines to divert the flight from Seattle to Istanbul to New York.
The 59-year-old man passed away before the plane touched down, despite the crew’s best efforts to save him and administer emergency care.
The co-pilot is thought to have made a safe landing.
The Airbus A350 departed from Seattle on Tuesday night and crossed over into Canada, according to flight tracking data.
It did, however, suddenly veer to the south and land on Wednesday just before 6 a.m. local time at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Ilcehin Pehlivan was the captain’s name given by the airline.
“We wish God’s mercy to our captain and,” Mr. Üstün continued.
The airline verified that plans are in place for the passengers to proceed with their journey from New York.