Delta Passenger Declared Dead After Flight Returns To Airport

A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit, Michigan, to Shanghai, China, was unresponsive, causing the plane to return back to the airport Monday.

Upon landing at the airport, the passenger, identified as Yury Rubel, was declared dead. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said the passenger died of natural causes. Rubel was suffering from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, which caused his death. The age and place of origin of the passenger were not immediately revealed, Detroit Free Press reported.

The Delta flight 583 took off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport for Shanghai around 4:25 p.m. EDT and the medical team pronounced him dead around at 7:15 p.m. EDT. After a “medical emergency was declared," a Delta spokesperson said the flight decided to divert the plane back to the airport.

"The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger in question was removed," the spokesperson said.

Airport spokeswoman Lisa Gass said Airport Authority's Public Safety team responded to the airline's request of medical assistance on the plane. Authorities determined that the passenger already died when the team arrived onboard.

Although Gass refrained from mentioning what kind of “medical emergency” was declared by Delta Air Lines, ahead of returning to the airport, she said the emergency involved a single passenger.

Flight 583 was rescheduled and took off at 8:20 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.

In a similar incident earlier this month, a SpiceJet flight flying from Bangkok, Thailand, to New Delhi had to be diverted after it declared a medical emergency following the deterioration of health of a passenger onboard the plane.

"SpiceJet Flight SG 88 operating from Bangkok to Delhi on Oct. 5 was diverted to Varanasi owing to a medical emergency on board. All possible assistance was provided by the crew on board and after landing at Varanasi," the spokesperson said, Business Standard reported. "The airport and ATC had also been informed by the pilots for medical assistance in advance and after landing the passenger was rushed to the hospital by the SpiceJet team. However, the passenger was declared brought dead by the attending doctors.”

The spokesperson added that all possible medical assistance were provided to the ailing passenger by the flight crew, ahead of landing at the Varanasi airport in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The Air Traffic Control (ATF) officials were informed of the emergency beforehand and they were prepared to provide medical aid to the passenger upon arrival of the flight.