The Air France passenger who died suddenly on a flight from Paris to Boston has been identified as a 53-year-old Iraq War veteran from Kansas.
Barbara Dipoli, of Topeka, east KS, passed away while on board the plane on Tuesday, Massachusetts State Police told the Boston Globe.
She was a member of the Kansas National Guard, and she died from a 'medical episode', officials said.
The Massachusetts chief medical examiner's office is investigating and will confirm the cause of death in the coming weeks.
Dipoli served at least 22 years in Iraq, and held the rank of Master Sergeant at one point, according the the Air National Guard.
Information about her more recent service was not immediately available.
She fell ill after her flight took off from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday.
Doctors tried to treat her, but she 'couldn't be rescued' and died shortly after.
Emergency crews were pictured at Boston Logan International Airport on Tuesday night after the plane landed.
Police have described the death as 'unattended' but have not provided further details.
The Massachusetts State Police detective unit responded at the scene and their investigation into the death is ongoing.
In a statement to NBC Boston, Air France confirmed that a passenger died on board Flight AF334 after suffering a medical emergency.
'Despite the assistance of a doctor on board, the customer couldn't be rescued,' a spokesperson said. 'Air France reminds that its crew members are regularly trained to handle these kinds of situations.'
The tragedy comes just months after a pilot died after collapsing mid-flight on a 12-hour Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul.
The pilot, identified as Ilcehin Pehlivan, collapsed during the October 2024 flight, forcing the jet to make an emergency landing in New York.
Pehlivan, 59, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March and there had been no indication of any health problems.
Medical emergencies are not uncommon on flights, with data showing that in the US alone around 44,000 flights experience some form of medical event each year.
These incidents include minor discomforts to life-threatening situations, according Aviation Services' March 2024 report.
The most common medical situations to occur during flight include fainting, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems and neurological issues.
Seizures and cardiac issues, such as a heart attack, are also common.
Read more 2025-01-16T14:00:36Z