Ground Controllers & Commercial Pilot help woman control plane after husband falls ill

DENVER — A woman took over the controls of a small airplane when her pilot-husband started having trouble breathing and speaking on a flight from California to Colorado, authorities said.

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At 12:14 p.m., an air traffic controller in Longmont, Colo., contacted the plane and noticed the 70-year-old pilot appeared to have difficulty breathing during a routine conversation, KCNC reported. The woman said her husband was slurring his speech and was unable to push the buttons.

The controller said he wasn't able to make contact with the pilot after the plane began to make erratic maneuvers. The pilot's wife got on the radio to say her husband had been incapacitated.

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A pilot from a Great Lakes airplane heading to New Mexico began flying toward the single-engine Cirrus SR22 to offer assistance. The commercial pilot managed to instruct the woman on how to turn the autopilot on and begin a controlled descent.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43183650/ns/us_news-life/

Husband recovered enough to land. Good job to all!