Newsflash - flight risk skyrockets when the pilot dies

If you're afraid of flying, stop right here. Reading this story is like watching the Poseidon Adventure before taking your first cruise.

A British airline diverted a flight to Turkey late yesterday afternoon today when the co-pilot died mid-Pilots in the Cockpitflight. Michael Warren, 43-years-old, apparently died of natural causes, but what those causes are haven't been released yet.

Airbus 320 was carrying 156 passengers from Manchester to Papho, Cyprus but landed in Instanbul. The airline maintains the passengers were never in danger and will be flown onto Cyprus later today.

Kudos for the pilot landing the plane without further incident.

Can you imagine his stress level? Pilots are a special breed of people, but this goes above and beyond what anyone's prepared for when they show up for work.

And you have to wonder what the passengers were thinking. Reports state most were only aware of a medical emergency that forced an unscheduled landing. But I'm sure they noticed the flight crew scrambling at the cockpit door. Did they know one of their pilots had died during flight?

According to the Associated Press, First Officer Michael Warren had joined GB Airways, based at Gatwick in August 2005 as part of its small operation at Manchester Airport. After flying Tornadoes in Iraq, he had become a flying instructor before becoming a commercial pilot.

Our condolences to the family.

And our best wishes for successful therapy for passengers who were already a little nervous about flying before this story.

Have you ever been on a plane during a medical emergency?