80-year-old Woman Lands Plane After Pilot Dies Mid-Flight (With Real Audio)

[@Melissa-SC73]

I saw this before. She did a wonderful job. She really kept composure with her deceased husband beside her. May he rest in peace. ❤

[@timonsolus]

She didn’t know that he was deceased at the time. She thought he was just unconscious.

[@Ranger-tq9iy]

@@timonsolus of being married to someone for so long you can tell the difference between unconscious and deceased

[@JokinIsCool]

yeah

[@floraposteschild4184]

Helen was the calmest person involved.

[@nursep18]

because the guys talking her down knew the risk more than she did.. whew..she did it though!

[@chrisivan_yt]

She should be an inspiration to all with how calmly she just handled that situation

[@SomeOne-mp6ym]

There should have been only one person talking to her. A miracle she did so well. BRAVO Helen!!!

[@mawj09eas4]

Love how you put “Good job Helen!” at the end of the video.

[@CassassinCatto]

That and the music made me cry 😭

[@kenjhee]

I can't believe how calm she remained with so many different people telling her different things at the beginning. This was the most edge-of-my-seat episode on TFC yet.

[@geoffreybradford]

I agree!

[@cameraman655]

Agree, pretty intense…Good on ya, Helen👍

[@sarahfrith1984]

New video! How lucky she had flown a plane before but how utterly tragic she found herself in that position. To stay calm enough to land while her husband was unconscious was very brave.

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

Damn. RIP to the husband 🙏🏾 Great job to the widow 👏🏾

[@THELIFEOFPRICE]

man its unbelievable that she did so amazing with all the stuff going on and then losing an engine on approach. I know shes with him know but what an amazing job she did.

[@freidamartin3281]

Good Job Helen! 80 years old with nerves of steel!❤❤❤

[@scofab]

This is why I love old people... fantastic job Helen and RIP John. Thanks Flight Channel, your comeback is excellent.

[@Dmitri-t2q]

Well done Helen. May your hubby rest in peace. God bless you.

[@ThomDartt]

That was one of the most painful things I have ever listened to in my life. It is borderline miraculous that that did not end with another fatality. How she did that with that guy constantly running his mouth in her ear is amazing.

[@angelbulldog4934]

I needed four tissues for this one!

[@terrybrennan4978]

I thought the same thing.

[@samkelomambisa1897]

You mean the guy up in the air with her? Giving her precise instructions? He saved the day as he was basically flying the plane for her. How on earth do you get to the conclusion he was the problem/obstacle to her successfully landing the plane?

[@thecaynuck]

The guy was a big help to her, that situation is kind of frantic anyways as they're either going to see her successfully land, or get herself in a disaster. I was kind of confused at that pilot's "you're not going to make it" on final approach despite giving her instructions still though. Perhaps he just slipped his words?

[@jackwarren3080]

Oh do fuck off

[@jessicasnaplesfl7474]

Helen was doing very well until she had to wait and wait and WAIT for her helper to get airborne. They failed to listen to her when she told them she was concerned about her gas. I was holding my breath with her as she kept waiting and waiting and waiting some more for her escort to arrive "in 5 minutes". That was the LONGEST "FIVE MINUTES"! The idea that her helpers were willing to send her to another airport because they "didn't want to step on anyone's toes" was appalling, since Helen already told them she didn't think she had enough gas to get there. Helen didn't spend 90 minutes learning how to pilot the plane. Most of that time was spent waiting for her rescuers (who sounded more nervous than she was) to get airborne and decide how to bring her down, without listening to much of what she was saying, while she concentrated on piloting the airplane. She didn't need two "practice runs" while she was almost out of gas. Her rescuers did, and she almost had to land that airplane AS A GLIDER when she ran out of gas just before lining up with the runway. This "old lady" deserves far more credit than she got for her fantastic performance. She remained "cool" throughout, despite the anxiety of her rescuers.

[@tyrotrainer765]

My thoughts exactly! She was doing fantastic on her own, good situational awareness, and she was very aware about needing gear and flaps; all she was asking for was info on the deployment speeds for the approach. If that was a full playback, in my mind I was screaming "get the f****** flaps down!". The rescue pilot wasn't necessary, and he didn't sound at all confident; all she needed was a calm voice on the ground calling out power and speed settings, plus when to deploy gear and flap. Yes she was brilliant despite the unneccessary delay/go-around.

[@sandib4234]

Right that's what I'm thinking as I'm watching this so much delay😮

[@mph1ish]

We don't know why it took some time to get the other plane next to her. Also, her son was the one with the "stepping on toes" comment. Bottom line, they saved her life so bravo to them.

[@jaydee5447]

Great Job Helen! Not an easy situation to be in yet you handled it beautifully. We are all so proud of you. Exceptionally well done.

[@billwilliams9527]

Wowl how cool was that, kept me on the edge of my seat. Bless this lady and what she did, and the folks that talked her down.

[@katemaloney4296]

Helen Collins passed away in 2015 at the age of 83. Anyone claiming that she is still around, is lying.

[@Yasser.Osman.A.Z.]

We are all numbered. Sooner or later Our number will be called. No one will be missed

[@Yasser.Osman.A.Z.]

We are all numbered. No one will be missed. Sooner or later. Better be prepared for eternity

[@zoso73]

I never get watery eyes watching hundreds of these YT flight disaster/incident videos, but this one did it. Brilliant work by TheFlightChannel. I'm sure her husband's spirit was nudging the yoke on the last, fuel-starvation-imminent landing attempt.

[@teribaker5833]

Right?? This one had me tear up, and I also watch hundreds of these.

[@robinturton5252]

This is a great learning tool (on any subject) in the art of communication (in any situation, but especially in a high stress one). Also a supreme commendation of the cognitive & practical ability of the elderly (in particular Helen).

[@rosiegroovy]

This was intense! So sorry about her husband but so glad she made it down safely! Thank you to all who helped her!

[@theycallmetundraboy]

I have seen so many of these, but this TFC episode had me sweating the most. I can't believe she was able to land that plane with her husband dead beside her. Great job, Helen! And RIP.

[@sidneydavies4358]

Wow Helen! You were amazing.

[@chriscooper654]

That was courage, keeping her cool and landing an utterly unfamiliar craft with her unresponsive partner beside her. Kudos to the team that helped her down! Amazing storytelling and editing, as always.

[@NeumsFor9]

Flying at 81 is amazing and crazy simultaneously. My father complained of "neck issues" before his massive heart attack. Everyone was telling him what he eventually found out the hard way. Unfortunately he was only 49, but this whole situation is surreal. Death is almost always surreal when unexpected.....

[@doctorsamadams]

That’s horrible. Rip to the husband 🙏

[@g-bgcg]

Wow! This video had me on the edge of my seat and biting my nails. Thank you Lord for helping Helen land this plane. What a brave person she is. So sorry for the loss of your husband. May God comfort you and your family during this difficult time. 🙏🏻❤️

[@loriw2661]

Wow! Helen, that was incredible. Fantastic job!

[@davidmccann9811]

Wow, she did amazing. My heart sank when she told Cathy the fuel was just "halfway from the 1 to zero" and Cathy replied, "Your fuel is on half?" She was flying on fumes and nobody other than her seemed to grasp it.

[@LaidbackLukee]

cathy was useless. also is it not easier to follow a plane in to land instead of it being behind you and trying to micro manage every single one of your movements? its so overloading for the brain it just makes you perform worse

[@mph1ish]

@@LaidbackLukee She was having trouble lining up with the runway. Flying ahead of her could not help that at all.

[@jrimpau]

I have watched dozens of flight videos, and this is one that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was rooting for her to make it. Great job, Helen!

[@twicebaked7420]

Amazing job Helen! You have my sincere condolences.

[@CassassinCatto]

Oh. My. Days. Got back to this after an emergency of my own at work, had to stop a couple of times to calm down again. Well done everyone, Helen especially in such a tight situation. Requiescat in Pace John, so sorry he didn't make it but hope he's proud of Helen for getting him and herself down safely. Think I need a good cry now 😭

[@ilovetotri23]

This could be the best video I have watched on KZbin this year! I pray that she feels proud that her husband would be so proud of her!

[@ADPeguero]

Wow. What a courageous and strong woman. May her husband be resting in peace. I hope they're all well.

[@terrybrennan4978]

April 3, 2012 is when this happened.

[@craycraywolf6726]

Thank you!

[@frankyjas5184]

Finally. Something new. I noticed lately a ton of people were getting upset with reuploads. Hopefully the owner of this channel is starting to see they’re gonna need to add new videos. This was a good one for sure.

[@giantslayer473]

GREAT JOB Helen! Very proud of you, you were so calm, cool, and collected. David in Kentucky.

[@CMDRFandragon]

When you pick up a new game and immediately pick the highest difficulty without even looking at the control menu.

[@DC10_AV]

bruh.

[@timduggan1461]

A Cessna 414 is a gorgeous airlplane.

[@steviegallegos9470]

Helen did an awesome job! Amazing lady!👏👏👏

[@wokewokerman5280]

She's an absolute GEM!...God Bless all mothers......

[@mph1ish]

What a tough lady! God bless all involved helping Helen to land, and God rest the soul of her husband.

[@bufferzone7088]

What an amazing lady! Great job 👏 praise god she survived and RIP to her husband.

[@taylormjolsness7480]

I gratefully appreciate your return

[@redwingdetroit9671]

Sheesh. I was clutching my chair. Great job helen. Sorry about your husband.

[@ecoleesp9084]

C'est extraordinaire. Quel grand peuple !

[@effluviah7544]

Good job, Helen!! It must have been terrifying, but I'd like to think if were in such a situation where my husband were incapacitated beside me, that I'd do half as good a job as she did. Bless.

[@iAPX432]

Incredible. I would dub her a Lady or a Madame. But she act as a confirmed pilot. In control. "hurry up" - Madame pilot communicating to her safeguard! Landing with only one engine running on a two engine plane? Easy go! She is incredible!

[@Ranger-tq9iy]

Her husband may have not survived, but he was probably watching the whole time. He would be so proud

[@party4keeps28]

Nice thought but just wishful thinking.

[@margeebechyne8642]

I remember when this happened. Terrifying and amazing! RIP John

[@robbiethepict2783]

Remarkable woman.

[@disneyee7643]

WOW, just WOW.

[@LuchinoBruttomesso]

Finally the old owner is back

[@DC10_AV]

Yep.

[@silva4428]

I think is not the older owner, the style stays different, but the new person behind is listening the critics and improving.

[@Randomly_Browsing]

​@@silva4428hopefully they keep up with the upload

[@liliannison6262]

Poignant but extraordinary episode! This lady was of exemplary courage and the help given to her on the ground and in the air was of admirable professionalism. One of the greatest pieces of bravery in your series. Job well done, TFC! 🥲 RIP, Mr Collins.

[@catross740]

Oh, lordy, that was harrowing. Great job Helen. So, sorry about your husband❤

[@burnsyboyy7534]

Wow wonderful job from an 80 year old lady❤️.

[@auldlangsign3179]

Wow that was riveting.

[@brufu79-23]

Amazing Helen, Bravissimo! A similar situation happened in the UK where two friends flew in a Cessna and the pilot died. The completely unexperienced friend took over and landed the plane successfully at night. After this incident he took flying lessons. There is a documentary on KZbin

[@siyanaganeva8236]

I've heard about this story before, she was so brave, RIP the husband 🕊️

[@christopherslocum9454]

Wow Helen amazing! This had me in so much anxiety!

[@scottadams2094]

OMG that was amazing. Great job Helen!!!

[@noneofyourbizness]

tragic & quite wonderful too.

[@Brandon1984mn]

This is incredible!

[@wends4]

I had shivers watching this.

[@ronaryel6445]

Outstanding job by Helen's son talking her down and great piloting by Helen, keeping calm and flying the airplane. Round of applause! That her husband did not survive is very sad, though she gave him a shot by safely landing. I have one question, though: Give the critical fuel state (she was well below a quarter-tank), was it a good idea to have her fly for that long with the gear down? Why not leave the gear up until she was on the base leg of her last approach? She was far too high to land the first time she lined up with the runway. Keeping the landing gear up would have reduced drag and saved fuel. Was there concern that she would not have lowered the gear or been too overworked to lower the gear later?

[@timonsolus]

Probably they were worried that she might ignore instructions and bring the plane straight down on the runway without lowering the gear first.

[@ronaryel6445]

@@timonsolus Thank you.

[@craycraywolf6726]

She did so great! I'm sad that she lost her husband and the son never got to see his father again, but at least she survived (as a fantastic pilot to boot!) and the couple enjoyed their last moments together by spending quality time with friends.

[@sandib4234]

What a wonderful woman ❤

[@Minasti_7]

What a heroine Helen. When did this happen? It's one of the most heartbreaking aviation videos I've seen in recent years, it's something very emotional, Rip to her husband how sad 😢😢

[@JaniceWithTheTarlovCysts]

It happened in 2012. It made headlines around the world.

[@mph1ish]

@@JaniceWithTheTarlovCysts Never heard of it before.

[@ScottishT]

Incredible

[@aslam88510]

If it was someone else and as young as one could be... they wouldn't have made it! What an effort! That was nerve racking!! Phew...

[@shdon]

How is it that Helen, the one person who has the most reason to panic, is also the one who sounds most composed and, quite frankly, the most competent? She seems to have had to wait ages for the other plane to get airbone near her, for all the good that did, and in the meantime lots of people were even giving her conflicting instructions and disregarding her concerns about running out of fuel.

[@nardinzobi3760]

excellent !!! très belle histoire !!! formidable courage !!! BRAVO GRÂCE à CETTE vidéo je me suis régalé !!! QUEL SUSPENS !!! merci !!!!

[@rrd1975]

Please excuse me while I massage my trembling hands and white knuckles! That courageous lady stared down some long odds!

[@hawaiifiles]

Wow! It's a good thing Helen had some flight experience even if it was 30 years prior to this. Great landing given the circumstances.

[@blrenx]

Flying looks fun ! for a bird. I can understand why a lot of pilots have heart attacks during flight. You have to be alert every second when in the air . The pilot overtime learns to stay alert and manage it. But the stress is a constant physical underlying factor. I guess there is more to flying than just knowing how to fly

[@minipandora22]

Absolutely 💯 amazing!

[@vitothepizzaguy7475]

She was so calm

[@geoffreybradford]

Anyone know if the chase plane was really a C-152 as it appears here? After watching this , I think there were too many people instructing her at first. While the chase pilot was getting ready to take off, one person only should have been talking to Helen. Her son , a pilot who I assumed would save the day , seemed disconnected from what was going on and over focused on her comment about talking to Green Bay . He should have used the same polite voice and told mom to just listen to instructions they were giving her from the ground at the airport and, shortly, from the pilot in the chase plane. Thank God for the pilot in the chase plane who finally got airborne and took over instructing Helen because his concise, brief instructions delivered in the most basic way without pilot jargon that would confuse her , saved the day. There have been, for many years, excellent pinch-hitter pilot courses for people who regularly fly with spouses, friends etc, who are not themselves experienced aviators. My question is-should those be required ?

[@ronduncan9527]

Thankfully she understood the basics in flying. I think if she had never been in a plane she might not be here!

[@timduggan1461]

Seriousjy. This is amazing. I have over 15,000 hours and am a retired airline pilot. When i was a preteen my mother was taught to fly. I think i surpassed her......

[@AceMon2005]

Talk about a keeper! He picked a great woman to marry!

[@im_agine852]

What an awesome video!

[@confusedcat1633]

I wish Flight Channel can add more pictures/news articles at the end for reference. I miss the old Flight Channel

[@thewayofthegunn]

He's 81 years old and he still has a pilot's license. When are people going to learn that a "license" is a priviledge not a right.

[@flexairz]

He was probably a better pilot than some driving a car. Age is not a problem, performance is.

[@thewayofthegunn]

@@flexairz Yea, and he probably had a driver's license too. I'm in my mid 60s and I don't feel comfortable driving, so I don't. There comes a time in one's life when you have realize you can't do everything anymore. I don't care if he was an F1 driver, 81 is too old to operate transportation safely. He was lucky he wasn't flying alone or there could have been more deaths. He even said he wasn't feeling well before they left. Not feeling well at 81 usually means one thing.

[@mph1ish]

And he wasn't feeling well!

[@thecameramantraveler4830]

i decided to subscribe. keep making this content

[@darranweston9425]

The nightmare scenario. Stunning job Helen and RIP John.

[@kevmed64]

I'm originally from WI and it pains me to listen to these men almost botch this up. Sure glad this didn't get in the news as another "sad thing happened in Cheeseland" story like Jeffrey Dahmer. Nobody seemed to be listening to her!! While I was watching, I was screaming for her to tell them "I'm almost out of gas and need to land at Sturgeon airport NOW!" It's like she was speaking Greek to them. What on Earth did waiting for the rescue plane solve?? An hour or whatever of fuel burn almost to her demise. She is a Rockstar! Those other fellas, although I'm sure they meant well, need some serious training!

[@wilcofaber9863]

Big respect to Hellen. To land a plane while her husband was dying. Unbelievable.

[@m0r1k]

It's normal to live like this at 80 years old... I wish I could live like that in my old age... 🙀🙀🙀

[@DC10_AV]

Why is people thinking it’s fake. It’s not, uneducated people.

[@cpamacjd]

She Reminds me of E Jean, lots of determination and fight

[@Bannalover962]

This is the saddes thing I seen all weeks😢and in my area it’s Sunday

[@Titot182]

Mrs Doubtfire did a splendid job

[@californiadreaming9216]

Personally, I think that knowing Helen was critically low on fuel, ATC made the WRONG decision to keep her doing cicuits around the airport while scrambling up another guide aircraft, especially since they knew that 2 or more go-arounds were likely. All Helen REALLY needed was someone in the tower, quite familiar with the aircraft TYPE, to talk her down.

[@frankfurder3742]

Great story

[@Kareena1988]

She died after 3 years...RIP

[@walmartdog1142]

Those people helping just can't help themself. They keep talking in jargon-----base, manifold pressure, downwind, trimmed up, etc. I'm not a pilot, but I understand most of the jargon, but that's only because I watch a hell-of-a-lot of aviation on KZbin. It was the same way with jargon a few years ago while successfully talking down that airplane in Florida.

[@Eternal_Tech]

She did pilot an airplane 30 years prior, so maybe the rescuers believed that she may remember these technical terms.

[@mph1ish]

She was a pilot previously so she understood.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Landing a twin on MAYDAY fuel with one engine out is hard enough for an *experienced* pilot. Helen, you are an amazing woman. You have my sincerest condolences.

[@treaceeames4697]

MY GOD THAT GUY TALKING TO HER IS CREATING SO MUCH STRESS WOW

[@Randomly_Browsing]

Man just rise from the ashes with new upload

[@jacquelinesales1146]

She is a hero. May she rest in peace.

[@ghtaboma]

Very few people could pull this off. A miracle for sure.