In an extraordinary display of courage and quick thinking, a 69-year-old woman with no prior flying experience successfully landed a plane at a California airport after her pilot husband suffered a heart attack mid-flight. Yvonne Kinane-Wells was forced to take control of the propeller aircraft at an altitude of 5,900 feet, with her husband, 78-year-old Eliot Alper, incapacitated beside her.
The couple, both real estate agents based in Las Vegas, were traveling from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas to Monterey, California when Alper began to experience severe health issues. With no other option, Kinane-Wells reached out to air traffic control for assistance in landing the aircraft.
Audio recordings reveal the tense moments as Kinane-Wells communicated their dire situation to air traffic control. The controller on duty calmly guided her through the landing process, instructing her to increase power and directing her towards the nearest airport.
The controller can be heard saying, “We’re going to set you up so that as you level off from your turn, you’re going to be straight in for Bakersfield Airport. Is that alright?” Kinane-Wells responded with a shaky but affirmative response.
In a matter of minutes, Kinane-Wells successfully executed an emergency landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California. This marked her first-ever experience operating an aircraft, let alone landing one.
Emergency crews on the ground swiftly intercepted the landing plane. Despite using the entirety of the 11,000-foot runway and veering slightly off-road, Kinane-Wells managed to bring the aircraft to a safe stop. Alper, still unresponsive, was immediately rushed to the hospital by the Kern County Fire Department. His current condition remains undisclosed.
Ron Brewster, Kern County’s director of airports, expressed his astonishment at the unprecedented landing. He stated that in his entire career, he had never witnessed a landing quite like the one executed by Kinane-Wells.