TonyWilliams

(CNN) -- A flight attendant with a pilot's license ditched her normal duties and stepped in for a sick copilot of an American Airlines flight before the plane landed in Chicago, Illinois, airline officials said.
The first officer had become sick with "flulike" symptoms Monday, 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.
The Chicago Tribune identified the flight attendant as Patti DeLuna, 61. American Airlines confirmed that DeLuna was the flight attendant who assisted Captain Jim Hunter with the landing.
"I was the best available [backup pilot] they had on the plane," DeLuna told the Tribune. "I spent a lot of time in the cockpit looking at the flight deck and asking questions. My first question to the captain was, 'Where are the brakes?'"
DeLuna received a commercial pilot's certificate in 1970. Her experience, about 300 flight hours, involved piloting a small Cessna, according to American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely. The flight's purser also had piloting experience, but the pilot selected DeLuna as the best candidate to assist.
"I felt terrible for the first officer," DeLuna told the Chicago Tribune. "But I was so excited. It was way more fun than serving meals from the galley."
DeLuna assisted Hunter, who has worked for American Airlines since 1977, with the landing checklist, Huguely said.
The plane, carrying 225 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely at O'Hare International Airport at 4:24 p.m. Monday.
"One pilot is fully capable of flying a 767. It's very sophisticated, it's equipped with an array of computers," Huguely said. "However, there's plenty of work for two pilots to do, especially when it's descending into a crowded airspace like O'Hare."
The first officer, who is based in Chicago, was immediately taken to the hospital by paramedics waiting on the ground. He was treated and released and was resting Tuesday, Wagner said.
"The entire incident was handled very well on all accounts," Wagner said.
DeLuna has been a flight attendant for 32 years, with more than 14 years experience with American Airlines. She is based in San Francisco, and the captain in St. Louis, Missouri.