An off-duty US Air Force bomber pilot stepped in to land a United Airlines flight after the captain suffered a heart attack at 30,000 feet, saving 160 passengers. The incident occurred on 30 December on a flight from Des Moines to Denver.
Air Force Captain Mike Gongol, who flies supersonic B-1B Lancer nuclear bombers, was a passenger on the flight. He noticed the engines power down to idle 30 minutes into the journey, followed by a steep descent and right bank. When a flight attendant asked over the public address system if there was a pilot on board, Gongol volunteered after gaining his wife's permission.
In the cockpit, he found the captain suffering a cardiac arrest and the female first officer flying the plane. After moving the captain, the first officer asked Gongol what he flew. He reassured her and helped guide the aircraft to an emergency landing at Omaha Airport.
The first officer had never landed at Omaha before, but Gongol had trained there and talked her down. He praised the professionalism of the crew and passengers, saying everyone remained calm. Nurse Linda Alweiss, also a passenger, provided medical assistance to the captain, who survived and was later treated in hospital.
Gongol said any military pilot would have done the same, and he witnessed the finest professionalism under pressure from the flight attendants, nurses, and first officer.
