By msnbc.com news services
A JetBlue flight bound for Las Vegas was forced to divert to Amarillo, Texas, on Tuesday due to a medical emergency involving the captain, according to the airline.
Flight 191, which departed New York's John F. Kennedy airport at 7:28 a.m. ET, was enroute when the captain began behaving erratically.
The co-pilot was able to get the captain out of the cockpit, NBC News reports, but the captain began pounding on the door and was subdued by an off-duty police officer and an off-duty pilot.
"The pilot in command elected to divert to Amarillo, Texas, for a medical situation involving the captain," JetBlue told NBC News in a statement. "Another captain, traveling off duty, entered the flight deck prior to landing at Amarillo, and took over the duties of the ill crewmember once on the ground.
The aircraft arrived in Amarillo at 10:11 am CT (11:11 a.m. ET), and the crewmember was removed from the aircraft and taken to a local medical facility."
Passengers remain onboard at this time, JetBlue said, adding that it is working with airport officials to deplane the aircraft. The airline is sending a new airplane to pick up the 135 passengers and continue the flight to Las Vegas.
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