Last week, I wrote about this sad story: Turkish Airlines Flight Diverts to Chicago After Passenger Dies Over Greenland. I tried to be as sensitive as possible because it’s obviously a touchy subject.
The incident happened over Greenland on July 13 on a flight from Istanbul to San Francisco. According to Aviation A2Z, the crew initially planned to divert to Reykjavik (KEF), but “the passenger’s condition worsened, resulting in their unfortunate passing. The necessity for an urgent diversion diminished. Consequently, the decision was made to continue toward North America rather than divert outside the US airspace.”
What surprised me is that if the plane had continued to San Francisco, it might have made things easier for the family of the deceased and the other passengers. The flight was near the North Pole, so diverting to Chicago saved less than an hour. But when you add in the four-hour flight from Chicago to San Francisco, the total travel time and logistics don’t really make sense.
Well, we just learned more about the passenger and what a debacle it has been for Turkish Airlines because, if you can believe it, they misplaced the body in Chicago. According to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office, the person has been identified as Satyanarayana Pasupuleti, an 83-year-old man from India.
According to a passenger interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, “after spending about an hour on the ground, the aircraft resumed its journey to San Francisco.” However, this is where the story really turns. In the days following the incident, confusion arose over the whereabouts of Pasupuleti’s remains. Some media outlets reported the body had been removed in Chicago and should have fallen under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. However, that office reported no record of receiving the body.
The Chronicle says the mystery was resolved Thursday when authorities confirmed that Pasupuleti’s body had been offloaded in San Mateo County, where SFO is located, and was under the jurisdiction of the local coroner.
It’s unclear whether the body remained on the plane or if Turkish Airlines moved it without notifying local authorities in Chicago. But it really makes no sense and makes the diversion to Chicago even worse than I thought it was for everyone involved.
This is really unacceptable and is not a good look for Turkish Airlines. To make matters worse, the Chronicle interviewed another passenger on board who was a certified EMT and led CPR efforts during the emergency. He said, “the airline personnel were not as well versed in such emergencies.” Let’s hope this never happens again.
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