A woman in the United States displayed remarkable bravery when she safely landed a small turboprop aircraft after her husband suffered a stroke mid-flight.
Yvonne Kinane-Wells, a Las Vegas-based real estate agent with no prior flying experience, managed to land their two-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 when her husband, Eliot Alper, collapsed during their trip from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas to Monterey, California, last week.
Eliot, 78, was piloting the plane when he suddenly passed out. Yvonne quickly contacted air traffic control, took control of the aircraft, and explained the dire situation.
Air traffic controllers guided her as she descended from an altitude of about 5,900 feet, directing her to the nearest airport, Meadows Field in Bakersfield. They advised her to increase power as she approached landing.
After touching down in Bakersfield, Yvonne exceeded the 11,000-foot runway slightly but brought the plane to a halt safely. Emergency crews were on standby, and medical personnel rushed to assist the couple.
Sadly, Eliot could not be saved. However, Yvonne’s quick thinking and composure during the crisis left many in awe. Kern County’s director of airports, Ron Brewster, remarked to the Daily Mail, “It’s to my knowledge unprecedented. I’ve never seen it in my entire career.”
