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There's A New Sheriff In Town: Woman Flies Plane To Safety After Pilot Passes Out
Photo by Synapped via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
A woman who had never flown a plane before took control of an aircraft that her husband was flying after he lost consciousness, reports KTLA. The couple was flying to Colorado from San Bernadino when the pilot, a 70-year-old man, began experiencing hypoxia, in which the body doesn't get enough oxygen. He was able to communicate the name of the airplane to air traffic controllers before passing out.
His wife, panicking, began following instructions from another pilot who was familiar with the make of the airplane. According to KTLA:
A pilot of a Great Lakes Airlines flight in the area was listening in and decided to help since he was familiar with the Cirrus plane. "There should be a button on the autopilot panel that says H-D-G for heading," the Great Lakes pilot said. "You want to push that. There should be a big knob you should turn."
He also reportedly instructed her to turn the plane around to avoid hitting mountains.
When asked if she had ever flown before, the woman replied, "No."
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