Woman, 80, Lands Plane Low On Fuel; Husband Dies
STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) — An airport director says an 80-year-old woman who took control of a small plane from her unconscious husband was dangerously low on fuel when she landed on the runway at his small northeastern Wisconsin facility.
Helen Collins landed the Cessna twin-engine plane at the Door County airport Monday evening with help from another pilot who took to the skies to guide her to the ground. Collins' 81-year-old husband John was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Cherryland Airport director Keith Kasbohm says Helen Collins was making her last attempt to line up with the runway when she reported one of the two engines was sputtering. Kasbohm says the plane skidded about 1,000 feet before coming to rest.
He says she had some flight training but was unfamiliar with flying the Cessna.
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