A British pilot who lost his sight after suffering a stroke mid-flight from Scotland to Essex was talked through a safe landing by a crew of Royal Air Force pilots sent to his aid, The Daily Mail reported Friday.
"Jim O'Neill, 65, put out a mayday call after a suspected stroke cause blood to put pressure on his optic nerves, blinding him. A Royal Air Force team was scrambled to guide the two-seat Cessna to safety, The Mail reported.
With help from air traffic controllers O'Neill managed to land the plane on his fourth attempt.
"I should not be alive. I owe my life — and those of dozens of people I could have crash-landed on — to the RAF," O'Neill told The Mail from his hospital bed on Thursday. "It was terrifying. Suddenly I couldn't see the dials in front of me."
RAF Captain Mark Hopkins told The Mail, "The royal Air Force has the best pilots and air traffic controllers in the world. This team effort from Linton-on-Ouse lives up to its reputation. Shepherding aircraft in this way is something we do from time to time, but this is a very strange case."
"Jim O'Neill, 65, put out a mayday call after a suspected stroke cause blood to put pressure on his optic nerves, blinding him. A Royal Air Force team was scrambled to guide the two-seat Cessna to safety, The Mail reported.
With help from air traffic controllers O'Neill managed to land the plane on his fourth attempt.
"I should not be alive. I owe my life — and those of dozens of people I could have crash-landed on — to the RAF," O'Neill told The Mail from his hospital bed on Thursday. "It was terrifying. Suddenly I couldn't see the dials in front of me."
RAF Captain Mark Hopkins told The Mail, "The royal Air Force has the best pilots and air traffic controllers in the world. This team effort from Linton-on-Ouse lives up to its reputation. Shepherding aircraft in this way is something we do from time to time, but this is a very strange case."
