Howell Grange Reclaims Strength in Western New York

Belizean pilot Howell Grange is making a remarkable recovery in Western New York after surviving a rare and violent mid-air hijacking attempt that nearly cost him his life.

The Tro[ic Air captain was flying a routine route in mid-April when the plane was hijacker by 49-year-old American citizen and military veteran Akinyela Sawa Taylor. Taylor stabbed two passengers and the pilot, demanding the flight leave Belize, but was fatally shot by an armed passenger, allowing a safe landing in Ladyville.

Grange calls the day he survived the assault his “second birthday.”

News of the attack made its way to Dr. Richard, a chiropractor in West Seneca where Grange is now receiving intensive rehabilitation.

Through a family connection, Grange was introduced to Dr. Richard’s clinic, where a custom, high-intensity recovery plan was put in place. The program included multiple daily chiropractic and physical therapy sessions, along with additional recovery treatments.

“Two chiropractic sessions and two physical therapy sessions, and also a recovery session at our wellness center,” Grange told 2WGRZ.

While doctors describe his recovery as miraculous, Grange remains grounded and focused. “You never know how you’re gonna act on an emergency until you’re in an emergency. And I think I did very well. I think I did really, really well, actually,” he said.

“I forgive the guy, ’cause I don’t know what he was going through in life. But I forgive him. And that’s the only way I could move forward.”

Grange is nearing the end of his recovery program, with his doctors reporting he has already regained 95% of his physical function.