Pilot falls ill on American flight from Phoenix to Boston, dies

(Reuters) - An overnight flight from Phoenix to Boston was diverted to Syracuse, New York, on Monday morning after one of the pilots fell ill and died, an American Airlines spokeswoman said.

Controls of the Airbus A320 carrying 148 passengers and five crew members were in the hands of a copilot when it touched down at Syracuse Hancock International Airport at 7:13 a.m. EDT (1113 GMT), said spokeswoman Brianna Jackson.

She declined to comment further, including whether the pilot died in air or on the ground and the nature of the illness.

"It was pilot illness. Unfortunately, that pilot did pass away. Of course, we're saddened," Jackson said.

Flight 550 left Phoenix Sky Harbor International at 11:55 p.m. MST on Sunday (0655 GMT on Monday) and was scheduled to arrive at Boston Logan International about 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Monday.

After landing in Syracuse and awaiting a replacement crew, the flight departed Syracuse at 11:37 a.m. (1537 GMT) and landed in Boston at 12:27 p.m. (1627 GMT), according to FlightAware.com.

The Onondaga County, New York, medical examiner's office did not immediately return a call for comment.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)