A woman in the United States showcased a heroic act as she safely landed a small turboprop aircraft after her multi-millionaire husband suffered a stroke and collapsed during a California-bound flight.
Yvonne Kinane-Wells, who is a Las Vegas-based real estate agent, does not have any prior experience in flying aeroplanes but still managed to safely touch down on a runway after her husband, Eliot Alper, collapsed mid-air, recently.
According to the New York Post, the 69-year-old woman’s 78-year-old husband was operating their two-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 plane as the couple took off from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas for Monterey, California, last week.
However, seeing Eliot passed out beside her after suffering a heart attack, Yvonne immediately contacted air traffic control, took command of the plane and relayed the situation to them.
The air traffic agents helped her redirect the plane, which was flying at an altitude of around 5,900 feet, to the nearest airport in Meadows Field, Bakersfield, after advising her to add more power.
After the plane landed in Bakersfield, emergency crews used their vehicles to intercept the plane and medical personnel rushed to the scene to help the couple.
Yvonne exceeded the entirety of the 11,000-foot runway, skirting a little off-road before coming to a halt.
Unfortunately, medical personnel were unable to save Eliot. However, Yvonne left many stunned at her ability to handle the plane, despite no flying experience.
Kern County’s director of airports, Ron Brewster, told Daily Mail: “It’s to my knowledge unprecedented. I’ve never seen it in my entire career.”