A hero passenger, who had no prior flying experience, managed to land a plane after the pilot became unresponsive.
On Tuesday, May 10, a passenger had to take over an aircraft after the pilot became incapacitated due to a “medical issue.”
According to CNN, after getting hold of air traffic control mid-flight, the man said at the time that he had “no idea” how the controls worked as he had no flying experience.
“I’ve got a serious situation here,” he could be heard admitting in the audio recordings obtained by the news station.
“My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane.”
“Roger. What’s your position?” ATC replied. Staff then directed the man on what controls to use and how to navigate the cockpit.
“Try to hold the wings level and see if you can start descending for me. Push forward on the controls and descend at a very slow rate,” the ATC said.
“Try to follow the coast, either north or southbound. We’re trying to locate you.”
The plane was reportedly carrying 2 people as well as the pilot when he became unresponsive, the ATC then received a panic call from the private aircraft while flying over Southern Florida.
The man followed the ATC’s advice and stuck to the coastline.
“Have you guys located me yet?” he reportedly asked. “I can’t even get my nav screen to turn on. It has all the information on it. You guys have any ideas on that?”
After they were located, the man managed to fly the plane to Palm Beach International Airport.
He then successfully landed without any issues, which was a huge surprise for those on the runway.
“You just witnessed a couple passengers land that plane,” the ATC told American Airlines pilot’s on the ground.
“Did you say the passengers landed the plane?” one pilot responded. “Oh, my God. Great job.”
Aviation expert, John Nance, gave his thoughts on the successful landing to the news station…
“This is the first time I’ve ever heard of one of these being landed by somebody that has no aeronautical experience,” he said.
“The person on the airplane who had no aeronautical experience listened very carefully and obviously followed instructions with great calm,” Nance added.
“That’s what made the difference.”
The incident is currently being investigated, but according to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot was struck with a “possible medical issue” that resulted in him being unable to fly.
We’re so glad that no one was hurt!
What an incredible story.