American Airlines Flight Attendant Collapses and Dies During Flight

A veteran flight attendant has died after she collapsed in front of her horrified colleagues during a flight from Venice to Philadelphia.

Cabin crew members made ‘valiant efforts’ to save the life of Carol Wright after she unexpectedly collapsed just a short time after takeoff on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the pilot diverted the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Dublin after declaring a medical emergency on Wednesday, June 21.

Once the flight landed, it was met by emergency services. Airport fire services and paramedics met the plane after landing, and Carol was taken to a local hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead.

Aviation journalist Shauns Aviation photographed the plane as it made its emergency landing in Dublin.

Twitter user Scott Hauser said after a while the flight was “cancelled”, adding he was “not sure of the condition of the flight attendant that fell ill.”

Airline insider @xJonNYC shared an internal American Airlines memo on Twitter giving an update on Carol. It read: “It is with great sadness that we share the sudden passing of PHL-based Flight Attendant and Purser Carol Wright while working a flight this morning.

“Carol began her career with American Airlines 38 years ago, and she loved her profession and the many friendships she created. She is remembered as a pleasure to support and a joy to work alongside.

“Any unexpected loss is extremely difficult, but please know that we are taking care of the colleagues who were flying with Carol. We are also in contact with Carol’s family and will provide for their needs and any help they require as we assist with bringing her home.”

People took to Twitter to share their experiences both on board the flight and working with Carol.

Dylan Biles said: “Was on this flight and it was all very sad. My heart goes out to the crew that worked with her that day and to her family.”

Denise Olivencia said: “Those of us that had the pleasure of working with Carol, are devastated…”

The flight had been scheduled to depart Venice’s Marco Polo Airport at 12.15pm, landing at Philadelphia International Airport at 3.31pm. It landed in Dublin just over two and a half hours after departing Venice.

Carol was taken to hospital, but could not be saved. She was described as a “very, very warm and kind personality”.

It’s unclear exactly why the flight was then cancelled, it could have been that the pilots were going to time out, the flight was under FAA minimums for the number of crew members or simply because the crew was in shock after their colleague collapsed in front of them.

After the flight was cancelled, passengers were rebooked onto alternative services. The plane reportedly stayed at Dublin for 24 hours before departing once more en route to Philadelphia – its original destination.