TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Doug White and his family had just enjoyed a smooth takeoff and were ascending through the clouds when the pilot guiding their twin-engine plane tilted his head back and made a guttural sound. The retired jet pilot, Joe Cabuk, was unconscious. And though White had his pilot’s license, he had never flown a plane as large as this. “I need help. I need a King Air pilot to talk to. We’re in trouble,” he radioed. Then he turned to his wife and two daughters, ages 16 and 18: “You all start praying hard.” Behind him, his wife trembled.
Passenger lands plane in Fla. after pilot dies
April 13, 2009