Air Canada flight diverts to Boston after pilot medical emergency

• An Air Canada flight diverted to Boston after a pilot had a medical issue.
• The first officer landed the plane safely without assistance.
• A passenger described the incident as beginning with an unexpected jolt.

An Air Canada flight from Newark, New Jersey to Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada diverted to Boston after one of the pilots experienced a medical issue on June 24.

"During the flight, the captain experienced a medical issue and was removed from the flight deck as per safety protocols," the airline said in a statement to USA TODAY. "The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely. Pilots are trained to fly aircraft and land safely without the assistance of a second pilot."

Flight AC7664 was operated by PAL Airlines, one of Air Canada's regional partners, using a De Havilland Q400 turboprop.

According to Air Canada the captain was taken for medical treatment in Boston. There were 61 passengers on the flight.

One of the passengers told ABC News that it appeared the captain was having a seizure, and that the incident began with an unexpected jolt in the airplane.

"The moment the plane swerved, I knew something was wrong because it was not turbulence," Rodney McDonald, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, told ABC News. "It really felt like someone had jilted the controls and then it happened over and over again. And, you know, every thought goes through your mind, you start praying. My boys instantly started praying."

Massport, the operator of the airport in Boston, confirmed that the plane landed without incident.

Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].