United Airlines flight diverted after co-pilot loses consciousness

A United Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco had to be diverted to Albuquerque, after the co-pilot lost consciousness mid-flight.

United Flight 1614 made an emergency landing on Tuesday morning at the Albuquerque International Sunport after the captain told controllers that the co-pilot passed out during the flight, Xinhua reported.

The plane landed without incident around 8.20 a.m. local time, and the co-pilot regained consciousness and walked off the plane to be transported to a hospital for treatment, an airport spokesman said.

The United Airlines confirmed the incident, saying that it was working to get the plane's passengers to their destinations.

The incident came just days after an American Airlines pilot suddenly died of cardiac arrest during a flight from Phoenix to Boston. The co-pilot on the flight landed the plane safely in Syracuse, New York.