On April 7, 61-year-old Professor Joseph Izatt, a renowned figure at Duke University, tragically passed away mid-flight after suffering a heart attack while piloting a Cirrus SR-20 aircraft. Professor Izatt, who chaired Duke’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, was flying with an unnamed passenger when the medical emergency occurred.
Initial reports from WRAL News indicated a sudden health complication, later specified by Inside Edition as a heart attack. The sole passenger onboard took swift action, managing to safely land the plane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Air traffic control radio confirmed that the passenger assumed control of the aircraft when Professor Izatt became incapacitated.
Eyewitness Evan Caufield, who observed the landing, captured the event on video as paramedics attended to Izatt. It remains unclear whether the professor passed away during the flight or afterward.
Duke University mourned the loss, lowering campus flags to half-staff in honor of Professor Izatt’s contributions. Joining Duke in 2001, Izatt was revered as a trailblazer in the field of biomedical imaging.
This incident recalls similar occurrences, such as in 2022 when a passenger, Darren Harrison, without flying experience, took control of a plane from the Bahamas after the pilot became unconscious.