UK passenger jet pilot dies mid-flight

LONDON, England (AP) -- A British airline said Monday that one of its flights was forced to divert to Turkey after the co-pilot died in mid-flight. He died of natural causes, the airline said.

GB Airways said the Airbus A320, carrying 156 passengers from Manchester to Paphos in Cyprus, landed in Istanbul on Sunday after what was termed a medical emergency on the flight deck.

The co-pilot was pronounced dead once the plane had landed.

The airline identified the dead man as Michael Warren, 43, a former Royal Air Force pilot who was married and had two children.

Beyond natural causes, the airline did not give a specific cause of death.

The airline said passengers were never in danger. They were due to be flown to Cyprus on Monday.