In a strange twist on that story, another passenger had to take over in a small airplane last week, but under very different circumstances. Pilot Mike Spicer, 55, and his friend Arnie Knoettgen were flying Spicer’s Cessna 150 to help police track down a fleeing suspect in Clay County, Kan. They spotted the suspect hiding in a field, and began to circle his location, when they heard a crack. A bullet punctured the passenger-side window and grazed Spicer’s forehead. He was losing lots of blood and having trouble seeing, so Knoettgen took over the controls while Spicer stanched the bleeding, and the two worked together to bring the 150 down to a safe landing. Knoettgen, who is an EMT, knew the wound was dangerous, even though his friend remained conscious and lucid. “Head wounds can fool you,” he said. “Everything can seem fine at first, but [the patient] can be gone in a moment.” Spicer, who operates the local airport, occasionally helps out Sheriff Chuck Dunn. Both Spicer and Knoettgen said they’re still willing to fly when needed — but Dunn said next time, just stay a little higher. Suspect Michael Michaud, 28, was arrested the next day, and is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
