by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Thu August 27, 2015
PHOTO: Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain. (Photo courtesy of Thinkstock)
A woman was seriously injured and Seville Airport in Spain was temporarily shut down Sunday when the pilot of the small plane fell unconscious, forcing his passenger to land the aircraft by herself.
In a report from Agence France-Presse, an unidentified woman with no flying experience was forced to take command of the small aircraft, and with the help of air traffic controllers at Seville Airport in Spain, was forced to attempt the landing on her own.
A helicopter and a plane were dispatched by the airport to help guide the plane down.
Through the plane's radio, officials in the tower at Seville Airport talked the woman through the process of landing, but the plane still ended up crashing less than two miles from the airport's main runway, leaving the woman in serious condition with burns and multiple contusions.
To accommodate the emergency landing, officials at Seville Airport closed the airport to ensure no aircraft would be near the runway when the woman attempted to bring the small plane down safely. The airport was shut down for around two hours total, and four flights were rerouted to Jerez Airport in Jerez de la Frontera during that time.
Unfortunately, the pilot of the small aircraft died during the ordeal, but an emergency services spokesman said they would have to investigate whether the man passed away during the flight or if he was killed when the plane crashed.
According to the AFP, Spanish media is reporting that the man and woman were married.
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