Blinded Pilot Lands After Mid-Flight Stroke

An amateur pilot who suffered a stroke and went blind as he flew over North England landed his plane without a scratch, the Independent reports. Jim O’Neill, 65, was initially unable to follow instructions from civilian traffic controllers, but was guided to safety by British military planes. He remains hospitalized in serious condition, but is regaining his sight, BBC notes.

“It was terrifying,” recalled O’Neill, who struggled for 45 minutes through seven attempts to land correctly. “Suddenly I couldn't see. The dials in front of me were a blur. I was helpless at the controls. I should not be alive. I owe my life, and those of dozens of people I could have crashed on” to the Royal Air Force, he said.
(More Royal Air Force stories.)