A newly-engaged Joliet couple was forced to take the reigns as the helicopter they were riding in went down during a tour in Hawaii to celebrate their engagement.
The pair from the Chicago suburb were on the sightseeing tour on the final day of their vacation when the R44 helicopter crashed near the Kaneohe Bar sandbar, according to NBC affiliate station Hawaii News Now.
Officials said the 57-year-old pilot suffered a medical emergency in the flight and the couple, identified as 35-year-old Carli McConaughy and 31-year-old Adam Barnett, had to intervene.
A spokesperson for the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii said the two “thought they were going to die” as the chopper went into a deep dive. Illinois radio station WJOL reported McCounaghy was in the front seat while her fiancée in the back told her to “pull up.”
She reported managed to level out the helicopter before it crashed.
The suburban couple and the pilot suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital in serious condition. According to Hawaii News Now their conditions later stabilized and McCounaghy and Barnett landed back in Chicago Wednesday.
