The Cessna 188 Pacific rescue in 1978 was a successful mission to save a small aircraft that became lost over the Pacific Ocean. Piloted by Jay Prochnow, a retired US Navy pilot, the Cessna 188 was flying from San Diego to Sydney, Australia. After its navigation systems failed, the aircraft was out of fuel and dangerously low over the ocean when it was spotted by the crew of an Air New Zealand DC-10, which was on its way to Los Angeles. The DC-10 crew guided the Cessna to a safe landing at Tahiti, where it arrived just before midnight on December 22, 1978, after being airborne for 23 hours and 5 minutes. This dramatic rescue was later depicted in the 1979 TV movie "Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771". The successful outcome was due to the skill of the Cessna pilot, the resourcefulness of the DC-10 crew, and a bit of luck. For more details, you can refer to the Wikipedia page Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771.