11-05-22, 23:22
|
#1
|
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 47,663
Thanks: 27,646
Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts
|
Passenger With No Flying Experience Safely Lands Plane
Passenger With No Flying Experience Safely Lands Plane After Pilot's Medical Emergency
Air traffic controllers were able to guide the Cessna Caravan passenger around 70 miles along the Florida coast before he landed the plane at Palm Beach International Airport
Daily Mirror 11 MAY 2022
A passenger with no idea how to fly a plane was forced to step in when the pilot suddenly fell ill.
A passenger with no flying experience successfully landed a small Cessna Caravan plane
Air traffic controllers helped the man - who has not been identified - guide the 14-seater Cessna Caravan to land at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, US.
It is believed the impressive feat could be the first of its kind in history.
The utility aircraft was around 70 miles north of the airport when the passenger called controllers to tell them the pilot "has gone incoherent".
He was told to keep the wings level and follow the coast before he was coached to the ground during the nail-biting ordeal on Tuesday afternoon.
Air traffic controllers guided the man into a safe landing at Palm Beach International Airport
“I’ve got a serious situation here,” the passenger was heard saying over the radio.
“My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane.”
Controllers asked for his position and he said he had "no idea" but that he could see the Florida coast in front of him.
He was told to follow the coast while they tried to locate the plane.
It was then spotted around 25 miles from Palm Beach.
Following the successful landing, a controller is reported to have said: "You just witnessed a couple passengers land that plane."
“Oh, my gosh. Great job,” said the other person
Aviation expert John Nance told WPBF-TV the dispatcher's praise was actually a huge understatement.
He said: “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of one of these [Cessna Caravans] being landed by somebody that has no aeronautical experience.
The 14-seater utility aircraft was flying along the Florida coast when the pilot fell ill
|
|
|