Helicopter Pilot Couple Save 17 in Tennessee Flood
Joel Boyers had just finished helping his fiancee earn her pilot’s license and the pair were headed to celebrate the achievement. Then, they received a call from a woman in Pennsylvania who asked if he could help rescue her brother, who was stranded on his roof – his home was underwater due to the floods in Tennessee.
“I thought, ‘How would I feel if I told her I’m not even going to try?’” Boyers, who owns Helistar Aviation, told The Associated Press. “She just so happened to call the right person, because I’m the only person crazy enough to even try to do that.”
Boyers has been a pilot for 16 years, but faced several new challenges as he rescued person after person. He had to work around power lines, balance the helicopter on slanted roofs and hover over raging flood waters.
Boyers’ fiancee, Melody Among, was his co-pilot and helped spot people below.
The couple rescued four people from the roof of a farm supply store. A woman said her husband had just been swept away by the devastating waters, but her daughter was on the roof of a gas station nearby — and they were able to save her, too.
“Every landing was pretty dangerous,” said Boyers. “I know the FAA can take my license away if they see me flying like that.” He said he has already reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The couple was able to save a total of 17 people from the floods. “I literally prayed just days before this that God would give me some meaning in my life, and then I end up getting this call,” said Boyers.
Image source: ABC 11
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