GA In The News — Good, Bad, And Ugly…

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Key Takeaways:

  • A woman with limited flight experience, Jennifer Truman, safely landed a Piper Malibu in Laconia, N.H., after its pilot (her father) became incapacitated.
  • Her father and mother both passed out during the flight, with carbon monoxide in the cabin suspected as the cause.
  • An air traffic controller talked her through the landing, which was described as "decent" and resulted in no damage to the aircraft.
  • Her parents were hospitalized following the incident, with their condition unknown at the time of reporting.
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Neophyte Safely Lands Airplane…

A woman who had taken only a few flying lessons was able to safely land a Piper Malibu in Laconia, N.H., on Monday after the pilot, her father, became incapacitated. Jennifer Truman, 30, brought the plane back safely, talked down over the radio by an air traffic controller. “It was a fairly decent landing, a little bumpy,” Gilford Fire Lt. Michael Balcom told the Concord Monitor. “She came in and cut the engine right away. There wasn’t any damage to the plane.” The pilot’s wife, in the back seat, had also passed out. Early reports said carbon monoxide in the cabin was suspected. (Just because it’s summer, that doesn’t mean you’re safe.) The flight had left Laconia only a short time before. The parents, William and Diana Truman, both in their 60s, were taken to a hospital and their condition was not reported at our deadline.

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