Wife Without Flight Experience Safely Lands Plane After Husband’s Heart Attack in Midair

A woman with no flying experience successfully landed a plane at a California airport after her husband, the pilot, suffered a heart attack mid-flight on Friday, October 4, according to reports.

Yvonne Kinane-Wells, 69, contacted air traffic control for assistance as her husband, Eliot Alper, 78, slumped in the pilot’s seat beside her at an altitude of 5,900 feet.

Despite having never flown a plane before, the Las Vegas-based real estate agent had no choice but to take control after her husband became incapacitated.

The couple was traveling from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas to Monterey, California, when Alper began to seize.

Audio obtained by Inside Edition reveals Kinane-Wells’ panic as she relayed their critical situation to air traffic control.

The agent on the other end guided her through the landing process, advising her to increase power and directing her to the nearest airport.

“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?” the agent said to Kinane-Wells.

Kinane-Wells responded with a shaky confirmation. Just minutes later, she made a successful emergency landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, marking the first time she had ever piloted a plane.

Emergency crews on the ground used their vehicles to intercept the landing plane. Kinane-Wells went beyond the entire 11,000-foot runway, veering slightly off the road before coming to a stop.

The Kern County Fire Department quickly transported the still-unresponsive Alper to the hospital, and his current condition remains unknown.

Ron Brewster, Kern County’s director of airports, remarked that he had never witnessed a landing quite like Kinane-Wells’.