Flight Attendant Helps Land Plane When First Officer Falls Ill

(CNN) -- A flight attendant with a pilot's license ditched her normal duties and stepped in for a sick co-pilot of an American Airlines flight before the plane landed in Chicago, Illinois, airline officials said.

The first officer had become sick with 'flulike' symptoms yesterday, according to Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American Airlines. "He went back into the passenger cabin," he said. "That's when the captain began to solicit help from any passengers with a pilot's license."

One of the five flight attendants on board flight 1612 from San Francisco, California, told the captain that she is a commercial pilot, and she immediately took over the first officer's responsibilities, Wagner said.

"She called things out, and read through the pre-landing checklist," he said, adding that it was a very smooth transition.

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