Remains Thought Those of U.S. Servicemen Arrive in Hawaii : Wife Safely Lands Plane for Pilot With Heart Attack

With the help of a pilot flying nearby, a woman who hadn’t flown for years landed a twin-engine plane safely after her husband suffered a fatal heart attack, an official said.

Sol Fuchs of Miami, together with his wife and five other family members, took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport en route to New Port Richey on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Ten minutes after takeoff, Fuchs suffered a heart attack, slumped over the plane’s controls and sent the Beechcraft Baron into a steep dive, Gordon said. Mrs. Fuchs was able to gain control of the craft and notify the air traffic control center in Miami, he said.

With the help of an unidentified pilot who was flying a similar plane in the area, she brought the plane back to the Fort Lauderdale airport and landed it without incident, Gordon said.