Photo: ROMEO GACAD / AFP / Getty Images
A passenger with no flying experience successfully landed a small plane in Florida on Tuesday afternoon after the pilot suffered a medical emergency.
The incredible emergency landing occurred at Palm Beach International Airport with the help of air traffic controllers, according to WPBF-TV.
“I have a serious situation here”, the passenger of the Cessna Caravan was heard to tell air traffic control about 70 miles north of your final destination. “My pilot has become incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the plane.”
“Got it. What is your position?” a dispatcher responded, according to the outlet.
“I have no idea”, said the passenger. “I can see the Florida coast in front of me. And I have no idea.
“Keep your wings level and try to follow the coast, either north or south. We are trying to locate you”.
The controllers helped the plane to descend and finally it located about 14 miles north of Palm Beach in Boca Raton. From there, air traffic control trained the man to reach the ground in what was considered a safe and stable landing, the station reported.
“You just witnessed a couple of passengers land that plane,” a radio controller said as the nail-biting saga came to an end.
“Did you say that the passengers landed the plane?” another person was heard to ask.
“That is correct”, replied the controller.
“Oh OMG. Good job,” the other person said.
An aviation expert told the station that the dispatcher’s relatively modest praise for the rookie pilot was a huge understatement.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of one of these (Cessna Caravan) being landed by someone who has no experience aeronautics,” said aviation expert John Nance.
The plane of 38 feet long reaches speeds of 215 miles per hour, holds 14 people and has a wingspan of 52 feet, according to Cessna.
“The person in the plane who had no aviation experience listened very carefully and obviously followed instructions very calmly,” Nance said. “That’s what made the difference.”
The name of the heroic passenger and the condition of the sick pilot were not released.
The Federal Aviation Administration reportedly said they believed he suffered a medical emergency, while continuing to investigate.
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