A woman with no flying experience took control of a plane that landed safely at a California airport Friday afternoon after her husband, a pilot, suffered a heart attack during the flight, according to reports.
Yvonne Kinnan Wells, 69, called air traffic control to help land the propeller plane as her husband, Elliott Alper, 78, lay in the cockpit next to her at 5,900 feet.
The Las Vegas-based real estate agent had never flown an airplane before, but after her husband became disabled, she had no other choice.
The couple was en route from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas to Monterey, California, when Alper started having seizures.
Acquired audio inside edition It shows the panic of Kinnan-Wells, who confirmed their dangerous situation to air traffic control.
Agents on the other side advised them to add more power before walking Kinen-Wells to the landing site and directing her to the nearest airport.
“We're going to set you up to head straight to the Bakersfield airport once you've finished your turn and flattened out. Is that OK?” the agent said to Kinnan-Wells.
Mr. Kinnan-Wells responded with a vague affirmation. Minutes later, she made a successful emergency landing for the first time in her life at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California.
Emergency personnel on the ground used emergency vehicles to intercept the landing plane. Kinnan Wells overshot the entire 11,000-foot runway and came to rest just off the road.
Kern County Fire Department immediately transported Alper, who was still unable to move, to the hospital. His current condition is unknown.
Kern County Airport Director Ron Brewster has never seen a landing like the one at Kinnen Wells Airport.
“As far as I know, this is unprecedented. I've never seen it before in my career,” Brewster said. daily mail.
