A husband and wife are hailing the pilot of their plane after it made an emergency landing in Edinburg.

"We consider him a hero," passenger Ricardo Gallardo said. "He gave us, I guess, hope knowing that we were going to make it, you know, that we were going to pull through."

The plane made the emergency landing at the South Texas International Airport on Saturday due to an engine malfunction.

Ricardo has been battling cancer on and off for the past four years. Both he and his wife, Yulisa, frequently fly from McAllen to Houston to receive treatment.

He says he is extremely grateful that the pilot was there, took charge and managed a situation that left them all in shock.

"All we did is hold on. He made a turn towards the soft spot he saw, trying to avoid all the trees and a few ditches that were around. It went straight down and belly landed, and it went sideways, and it finally came to a stop," Ricardo said.

While everyone survived on board, they did have minor bruising, but are grateful to walk away with their lives.

They said it re-affirmed their faith and gave strength to continue his fight against cancer.

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