Duke University professor dies after emergency landing at RDU

A passenger on Sunday landed a private plane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after the pilot suffered a medical issue.
Posted 4/9/2024, 5:32:00 PM Updated 4/9/2024, 9:29:11 PM

SAW THEM AS CHILDREN. WE'LL

HAVE THOSE STORIES AND MORE AT

THE TOP OF THE HOUR. CHRIS,

THANK YOU, JERROLD, THAT WE'RE

LEARNING NEW INFORMATION

TONIGHT ABOUT.

>> EMERGENCY LANDING AT RDU

INVOLVE A SMALL PRIVATE PLANE.

A PASSENGER PASSENGER TOOK OVER

THE CONTROLS SUNDAY. THAT'S

WHEN THE PILOT WHO WE NOW KNOW

WAS A DU PROFESSOR SUFFERED A

MID AIR MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND

SADLY, WE LEARNED THAT PILOT

PASSED AWAY. WRAL'S INTEGRITY

IS HERE. DAN SHED A LITTLE MORE

LIGHT ON THE SITUATION WHERE WE

KNOW IS A VERY SAD DEVELOPMENT

HERE AS WE TAKE A LIVE LOOK

AT RDU WITH THAT SMALL CIRRUS

PLANE MADE THAT EMERGENCY

LANDING ON SUNDAY FOLLOWING

THAT MID AIR MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

HERE'S A LOOK AT THE PLANE WERE

TALKING ABOUT THE PHOTO THAT

WAS INCLUDED WITH THE RDU

POLICE REPORT. WE'VE WE'VE

SINCE LEARNED.

>> ONLY 2 PEOPLE ON THAT PLANE

AS YOU ARE STAYING. THE PILOT

AND THE PASSENGER POLICE

HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED EITHER

PERSON, BUT WRAL HAS LEARNED

THE NAME OF THE PILOT,

ACCORDING TO THE TAIL NUMBER,

THAT PLANE IS REGISTERED TO

JOSEPH ISAAK EYES OUT AS A

DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR

SCIENTIST AND MENTION AT DUKE

SPECIALIZING IN UPTOWN OPTICAL

TECHNOLOGIES. HIS DEATH HAS

BEEN REPORTED BY THE

UNIVERSITY. THE SCHOOL HAS

LOWERED ITS FLAGS ON CAMPUS

TODAY IN HIS HONOR AS THEY

MOURN HIM. WE SPOKE WITH ONE OF

HIS RESEARCH PARTNERS HAVE

EASED ALA THIS AFTERNOON WHO

WORKED CLOSELY WITH EYES AT FOR

MANY YEARS. HE SAYS JOE WAS

A PIONEER IN HIS FIELD. WHO

CHANGED HOW PHYSICIANS

UNDERSTAND INFANT. I

DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE.

IT ALSO SAID JOE IS AN

EXPERIENCED PILOT WITH AT LEAST

10 YEARS OF FLYING UNDER HIS

BELT.

>> YEAH. WE LOVE TO FIND A

PLANE. HE WASN'T A PART OF EACH

OF HIS LIFE.

ELSA UNLEASHING WENT OUT TO

YOU. WITH THE ELECTION.

>> ISS DEATH, AS YOU CAN

IMAGINE, COMES AS A COMPLETE

SHOCK TO HIS LOVED ONES.

ACCORDING TO DOLLAR JOE WAS IN

GOOD HEALTH PRIOR TO THIS

FLIGHT. SO WE'RE WORKING NOW TO

LEARN A BIT MORE ABOUT THAT

MEDICAL EMERGENCY AS WELL AS

A PASSENGER WHO DID HAVE TO

LAND THIS PLANE IN THE MIDST OF

ALL OF THAT EYES. THAT LEAVES

BEHIND A WIFE AND 3 KIDS AND

QUITE THE LEGACY. CHRIS, SUCH A

SAD MOMENT FOR THEIR FAMILY,

BUT ALSO TENSION THAT PASSENGER