Woman Lands Plane As Pilot Husband Collapses

An 80-year-old woman with no flying experience has successfully landed a plane in the US after her pilot husband collapsed at the controls.

The woman was forced to call on the radio for help after her 81-year-old husband fell unconscious.

The Door County Cherryland Airport in northeast Wisconsin sent a second plane up to help coach the woman down.

"She's not a licensed pilot and has very little knowledge on flying an aircraft," said Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel.

As the woman was helped down, the twin-engine plane began to run out of fuel and the right engine lost power.

After aborting her first attempt at landing she was eventually able to touch down on the runway safely - albeit with the nose of the plane first.

Witness Torry Lautenbach told the WBAY TV channel she circled the airport around 10 times before descending.

The woman suffered minor injuries but her husband was confirmed dead on the ground.

"We're very proud of her for doing what she did. It was a very difficult situation with her husband unconscious next to her. It took a lot to collect her thoughts and get that thing landed," Sheriff Vogel said.