HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — The intuition of a pair of Hernando County Sheriff’s Office deputy pilots most likely saved one of their own from great harm after the runway lights went out while he was trying to land.
Just after 1 a.m. Thursday, two deputies were completing paperwork at the sheriff’s hangar when they heard a seemingly distressed pilot over the radio. The deputies then dashed over to the helipad, where they attempted to turn on the runway lights. The lights failed to turn on.
The pilot on the radio said he did not know how he was going to land without seeing where he was going. That’s when the two deputies had an idea to turn on the lights of their plane to illuminate the numbers and touchdown zone for the pilot to land safely. They moved the plane away from the helipad and executed their plan — the pilot landed without a hitch.
"The worst feeling in the world amongst aviators is being in the air and believing that you will not be able to get on the ground safely,” Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in a statement. “This is an example of a deputy being in the right place, at the right time, allowing this rightfully-concerned pilot to get home to his loved ones."
The runway lights are now fully functional, according to authorities.
