Pilot with heart attack saves 3 in emergency landing

[Matt Molnar]

AP story:

Pilot with heart attack saves 3 in emergency landing
Trucking president later died at hospital

Monday, June 5, 2006; Posted: 3:17 p.m. EDT (19:17 GMT)

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) -- A pilot suffering a heart attack made an emergency landing on a highway, saving his three passengers shortly before he died, police said.

Jack Francis, 61, president of Francis Trucking in Brigham City, Utah, had taken off from Jackpot, Nevada, and was headed home with his wife and another couple when he suffered a heart attack Sunday morning, Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Derek Jensen said.

He landed the single-engine Cessna 185 on Utah 30 near Park Valley and was taken to Bear River Hospital in Tremonton, where he died, Jensen said.

The plane went off the highway and hit a fence before coming to a stop, but the passengers were not injured.

"He basically saved these other three peoples' lives by landing the plane on the highway," Jensen said.

[mirrodie]

I heard about it this morning, a real hero, but sad to see him go.