Pilot dies mid-flight - plane lands safely

RELIEVED PASSENGERS: More than 200 passengers aboard a Continental jet landed safely in New York after their pilot died mid-flight.

Pilot dies mid-flight

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A pilot on a Continental Airlines plane died in mid-flight, leaving two co-pilots to land the plane safely in New York.

Continental flight 61 from Brussels landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to Continental's website.

Passengers weren't told of the pilot's death in flight. During the flight, an announcement was made asking if any doctors were aboard and several passengers approached the cockpit.

"The captain of Continental flight 61, which was en route from Brussels to Newark, died in flight, apparently of natural causes," Continental said in a statement.

"The crew on this flight included an additional relief pilot who took the place of the deceased pilot. The flight continued safely with two pilots at the controls," it said.

The plane was a Boeing 777 with 247 passengers on board. As a precaution, the airport's emergency crews were sent to meet the plane.

The pilot, 60, was based in Newark and had worked for Continental for 32 years, the airline said. Continental has one flight daily between Brussels and Newark.

In 2007, another Continental pilot died at the controls after becoming ill during a flight from Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It landed safely with a co-pilot at the controls after being diverted to McAllen-Miller International Airport.

- Reuters