Woman dies after falling ill mid-flight to North Carolina

The death took place after a passenger fell ill during a Charlotte-bound flight that had to be diverted to the Turks and Caicos

The incident occured onboard an American Airlines flight after it left the Dominican Republic (Getty Images)

A female passenger died after she fell ill during an American Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic to Charlotte in the United States.

The 41-year-old woman became unwell onboard Flight 2790, which had to be diverted to Providenciales International Airport in the Turks and Caicos on Wednesday due to the passenger’s “medical needs,” confirmed a spokesperson for the airline.

Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said that at 6.12pm they received a call from the Air Traffic Control Tower requesting medical assistance for the 41-year-old, who at the time was receiving CPR.

The patient was transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she died. Police said that a post-mortem will be conducted to find out what caused this passenger’s death.

“First responders met the aircraft, and one passenger was taken to the local hospital. The flight continued to Charlotte the following day,” American Airlines said in its statement.

Flight Aware, an online flight tracker, shows the flight being diverted to Providenciales International Airport, landing around 6.18pm on Wednesday.

The woman’s name has not been made public, but she was from Indiana, reported WXIN-TV.

The incident comes just days after a British tourist died while on a LATAM flight to Chile on Saturday.

The 59-year-old man was travelling from the Falkland Islands to Punta Arenas, a southern Chilean city, when the incident occurred.

The man passed away before the aircraft landed. Authorities said that there was nothing to suggest that his death was a result of a crime, as his wife told officials that he had several underlying health issues.

A post-mortem was due to take place this week and was expected to confirm he died of natural causes.