A woman with no flying experience had to perform an emergency crash-landing after her husband, the pilot of the plane, lost consciousness.

The couple, who were not named, were travelling in a microlight aircraft which typically carries no more than two people. Wire agency Associated Press reported that the incident happened when the plane was being flown near Seville, Spain, about 10,000 feet above ground on Sunday (Aug 23). The woman crashed in an orange grove three kilometres short of the runway at Seville's airport.

A spokesman for emergency services said that when the woman saw that her husband had lost consciousness, she rang a pilot friend who in turn alerted air traffic control.

A helicopter and another light aircraft were dispatched to guide the woman to the airport. The woman was also guided on the phone for about 90 minutes before she attempted the emergency landing.

In released recordings of their conversation, the controller can be heard reassuring the woman, "You're going to continue and you're going to land without any problem, okay?"

The woman's husband died but it was not clear if that happened before or after the incident.

A hospital spokesman said on Monday (Aug 24) the woman suffered multiple injuries but her life was not in danger.

The airport remained closed for two hours after the incident.