ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY
A Wisconsin couple flying their small plane home from a fishing trip in Florida encountered trouble in the skies.
WBAY has the details.
“Eighty-one-year-old John Collins, the pilot of a twin-engine Cessna went unconscious just last night after a medical emergency, forcing his 80-year-old wife Helen Collins — who is not a certified pilot — to take control of the plane.”
The airport manager called pilot Robert Vuksanovic for help.
WFRV says Vuksanovic knew what he had to do to get Collins down safely — get up into the air and coach her.
“She was actually challenging my confidence because I was going back to basics, ok you have to do this, you have to do that, and she came across — I know that now, let’s just get this thing on the ground.”
But things got worse before they would get better. Here’s
WTMJ.
“After a few touch and go practice rounds, Collins tells him she thinks one of the engines is running out of gas, that they need to land now.”
After a few tense moments that’s exactly what Collins did.
MSNBC has the details.
“But Helen Collins did bring the plane in for a hard landing. It bounced some 30 feet before coming down again.”
Upon landing — a bittersweet moment for family and friends.
CBS News explains.
“John Collins never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
But, Helen survived with only minor injuries. Her son called the remarkable feat, ‘just unbelievable.’”
According to
WLS Radio, Richard Collins believes his father died from a heart attack.
