- “My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane.”
- The Plane Made a Safe Landing at Palm Beach International Airport
A passenger with no flying experience makes a safe landing on a single-engine Cessna Caravan 208 plane at Palm Beach International Airport after the pilot has gone incoherent, according to The New York Times.
The pilot had a medical issue and lost consciousness while the plane was in the air, according to a recording of the conversation on LiveATC.net.
“I’ve got a serious situation here, my pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane,” the passenger told the Air Traffic Control.
“Roger. What’s your position?” Air Traffic Control responded.
“I have no idea,” the passenger said. “I can see the coast of Florida in front of me. And I have no idea.”
“Maintain wings level and just try to follow the coast, either north or southbound. We’re trying to locate you,” Air Traffic Control told him.
After some time, the aircraft was detected on the radar by Air Traffic Control. It was flying only a few miles off the coast of Boca Raton.
The air traffic controller Robert Morgan gave the passenger step-by-step instructions on how to continue flying and safely land the plane at Palm Beach International Airport. Later he shared the experience in an interview with the local news station WPBF.