Tammie Jo Shults, a pilot with Southwest Airlines, faced a tough situation when the plane she was piloting lost one of its engines while airborne at 32,000 feet. However you would have never known how dire the situation was speaking with Shults.

She radioed the Philadelphia air traffic controller and calmly stated: “So we have a part of the aircraft missing so we’re going to need to slow down a bit.”

The Boeing 737 was shaking as pieces of the engine shattered parts of the plane.

Shults remained focused and successfully executed an emergency landing of the plane in Philadelphia. The plane was en route to Dallas from New York City.

Shults, 56, greeted and hugged passengers after the ordeal. She managed to keep a scary situation from becoming much worse. A recording of her steady, matter-of-fact conversation with air traffic controllers went viral, making her an instant national hero.

Praise From Passengers

Amanda Bourman was a passenger on the airplane, and along with many other praised Shults for her calm demeanor in the face of disastor. Bourman wrote on an Instagram post “The pilot Tammy Jo was so amazing! She landed us safely in Philly. God sent his angels to watch over us. I actually heard someone say, there is a God!!”

The way Shults handled the emergency was nothing short of spectacular, but in a joint statement with first officer Daren Ellisor the pilot shrugged off praise for her actions.

Shults and Ellisor said in a statement posted on Southwest’s social media channels: “We all feel we were simply doing our jobs. Our hearts are heavy. On behalf of the entire crew, we appreciate the outpouring of support from the public and our coworkers as we all reflect on one family’s profound loss.”

A Love of Flying

If it wasn’t for her dedication, Shults might not have ever become a pilot. She was determined to fly at a young age, and was quoted saying that she tried to attend an aviation career day at high school but was told they did not accept girls.

She later went to study medicine and applied to the Air Force. They would not let her take the test to become a pilot, but the Navy did. Shults became one of the first female F-18 pilots and became an instructor before she left the Navy in 1993.

Her Navy training most likely helped her stay calm and collected during the emergency. Commander Cris Perham, an instructor pilot at Naval Air Station Kingsville said “that was pretty impressive” when speaking about Shults ability to stay focused.

“We spend a lot of time in the trainers going over emergencies, what they can expect, to the point where — I’m not going to say that when someone gets into an emergency they’re always calm and collected — but we definitely try to focus on the problem and how to resolve it,” Perham continued.

A Strong Christian

Shults herself is a Christian and brings her faith to the job. She once said that sitting in the captain’s chair gave her “the opportunity to witness for Christ on almost every flight.”

Stephanie Chandler, a neighbor and fellow Sunday school teacher, described Shults as a quiet person. When she did speak, it was often about her faith and things she was doing with her family. The Shults family often opens their home up to those who need it most, including hurricane victims.

“She just grew up with a strong faith, has always led a very faith-filled and faith-led life, and I think that’s equipped her for all of the things she’s done in her life,” said Chandler.

“From our conversations, she would tell you that God is the pilot and she was the co-pilot,” said Thompson. “She would say God is helping her.”

Kim Young, who has known the Shults family for over 15 years, echoed these statements.

“She has strength of character and faith in God…She was calm, she was collected and she was getting the job done. She was doing what was needed to be done. She’s a talented woman.”