A pilot’s wife had to take over the controls of an aircraft after he suffered a medical emergency mid-flight and successfully landed it in California, officials said.
Real estate broker Eliot Alper, 78, was flying a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 with his wife, Yvonne Kinane-Wells, from Henderson, Nevada, to Monterey, California, on Oct. 4 when he became incapacitated due to a medical emergency, according to the Kern County Fire Department as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Kinane-Wells assumed control of the aircraft and, with assistance from air traffic controllers at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, managed to safely land the plane.
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A Beechcraft King Air C90GTx aircraft manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a unit of Textron Inc., stands on display at the Singapore Airshow held at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (Getty Images)
The aircraft made an emergency landing around 1:40 p.m., as per the Federal Aviation Administration.
Alper, the founder of real estate companies Spacefinders and Ramrod Realty, was taken to the hospital upon landing but unfortunately passed away. There were no other reported injuries.
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The aircraft made an emergency landing around 1:40 p.m. on Oct. 4. (Getty Images)
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that one member of the flight crew died during the incident, with only one other individual on board.
Kern County Fire indicated that dispatch received a call that the co-pilot would be taking over the landing of the aircraft.
Kern County Fire indicated that dispatch received a call that the co-pilot would be taking over the landing of the aircraft. (iStock)
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Emergency vehicles followed the aircraft on the runway and were there to meet it when it came to a stop.
Alper and Kinane-Wells were married in February, with Alper’s father, Arby Alper, being a passionate pilot himself.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
