Parents Had Passed Out Up Front

It's the kind of stuff top-rate thrillers of which top-rate thrillers are made. A woman with hardly any flight experience safely landed her parent's single-engine aircraft in New Hampshire Tuesday after both people in the front seat passed out.

"I really have to hand it to his daughter," Laconia Airport manager Diane Cooper told local reporters. "She got that aircraft down without incident and even a pilot in that situation would have his hands full."

The Piper PA-46 (file photo of type, above) had just taken off from Laconia Airport (NH) when the pilot apparently succumbed to carbon monoxide gas in the cockpit. Authorities say the man's wife tried to help, but was herself overcome.

That left it up to their daughter, who was by no means a pilot. Cooper said the woman contacted controllers and told them she wanted to go back to the airport.

"She was about 15 miles from the airport, and wanted to go back to Laconia, because she knew that airport," said controller Philip Doyen. "She got it configured correctly for landing, and she managed to get the aircraft back to the airport."

The woman landed safely. Her parents were rushed to a local hospital where they were being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

(Authorities wouldn't identify the woman and we'll respect her privacy as well. But if she's reading this... she can fly right seat with us anytime -- ed.)

FAA Preliminary Incident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 9132V    Make/Model: PA46   Description: PA-46 Malibu, Malibu Mirage
 Date: 08/09/2004   Time: 2020

 Event Type: Incident  Highest Injury: Minor   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: None

LOCATION
 City: LACONIA           State: NH  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 ACFT SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE PILOT BECAME INCAPACITATED, DAUGHTER CONTACTED
 BOSTON TRACON AND WITH THE HELP OF THE CONTROLLER, RETURNED TO AIRPORT AND
 LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, LACONIA, NH

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  0
         # Crew:  1  Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  1   Unk: 
         # Pass:   2  Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  1   Unk: 
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED                               

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Unknown   Phase: Unknown   Operation: General Aviation

 Departed: LACONIA, NH         Dep Date:  Dep. Time:  
 Destination: UNK           Flt Plan: UNK     Wx Briefing: U
 Last Radio Cont: UNK
 Last Clearance: UNK

 FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, ME (NE05)         Entry date: 08/10/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov