Video: Passenger with no flying experience lands plane after pilot falls unconscious
After the captain experienced a medical emergency mid-flight, a passenger with no prior flight training took over and safely landed the plane at Palm Beach International Airport. A CNN audio clip captures the anxious moment when the passenger calls air traffic control for instructions on how to land the single-engine Cessna while remaining astonishingly calm throughout.
With the help of an air traffic controller, the passenger not only gained control of the plane, but also safely landed it at the airport.
According to reports, the unnamed passenger, who was traveling home with his pregnant wife, took control of the light Cessna 208 Caravan plane after the pilot suffered a medical emergency and fell unconscious.
On Tuesday afternoon, the plane took off from Marsh Harbor, Bahamas’ Leonard M. Thompson International Airport for a flight to Florida.
The unidentified man entered the cockpit after the pilot collapsed and alerted Fort Pierce air traffic control.
He was about 70 miles north of his objective, flying over the Florida shoreline, when he told ATC: “I’m dealing with a significant problem. My flight plan has become illogical. I’ve never flown an airplane before.”
“I’m in a dangerous scenario.” “My pilot has gone insane, and I have no idea how to control the jet,” the passenger, who was flying above the Florida coast at the time, explained. Following the initial interaction, the passenger received instructions from Air traffic control, which he followed. He remained remarkably composed and successfully landed the Cessna at Palm Peach International Airport.
