Woman lands plane after pilot husband suffers heart attack mid-flight
After her pilot husband suffered a heart attack, Yvonne Kinane-Wells took control of the plane and by some miracle managed to land it safely.
Something happening to your pilot has got to be up there with greatest fears while travelling in an airplane.
For the simple fact, most people aren’t pilots and don’t know how to fly a plane.
But 69-year-old Yvonne Kinane-Wells didn’t let that stop her, and with the help of air traffic control was able to safely land the plane and get medical attention to her husband, 78-year-old Eliot Alper.
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The incident took place mid-flight on last Friday afternoon (October 4) as the pair were flying in his small plane from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Monterey Regional Airport.
Due to the in-air emergency, the plane had to be landed Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California and miraculously, the plane was undamaged and Yvonne was unharmed.
An audio recording between Yvonne and air traffic control highlighted just how calm the 69-year-old was in what can easily be described as one of the most stressful situations in the world.
The traffic control worker is heard telling Yvonne to ensure that she gives the plane more power to maintain its altitude.
He even tells her to turn the plane in order to set herself up for a clean landing.
They said: “Your altitude is looking good, 5,900 feet, try to stay level at 6. You’re in a right-hand turn. Continue that right-hand turn.
“We’re going to set you up so that as you level off from your turn you are going to be straight in for Bakersfield Airport. Is that all right?"
Yvonne tentatively replied ‘Okay’ and proceeded to follow the instructions.
Waiting for her at the airport were emergency crews ready to leap to action in case the worst should happen.
Kinane-Wells exceeded the entirety of the 11,000-foot runway, skirting a little off road before coming to a halt. But that is a considerably better ending for what could have turned into a major disaster.
The Kern County Fire Department immediately took a still-immobile Alper to the hospital.
It is not yet clear the condition of Alper following the incident, however.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident in a statement and said they will be launching an investigation.
The statement said: “The passenger of a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 landed at Meadows Field Airport in California around 1:40 pm local time on Friday, October 4, after the pilot had a medical emergency.”
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.”
Topics: Las Vegas, News, US News, Health, Mental Health
Gerrard Kaonga