Seattle-bound flight has emergency landing after captain's heart attack

SEATTLE — KIRO 7 has learned that the captain who suffered a heart attack aboard a Seattle-bound flight has died. United flight 1603 was supposed to be a direct flight from Houston to Seattle but the flight was diverted to Boise.

Passengers were made aware there was a medical emergency. Another crew member asked over the loudspeaker if there was a doctor aboard the flight. Two passengers came to the aid of the crew member.

The plane, a Boeing 737-900, landed in Boise just before 8 p.m. Paramedics met the flight and took the captain to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The captain's name has not been released.

The passengers eventually made it to Seattle just before 12:30 a.m. Friday morning.

According to the airline there were 161 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft.

KIRO