Pilot fails
Passenger lands on Florida plane
05/11/2022 11:02 p.m
During a flight in Florida, the pilot is suddenly no longer able to fly the machine. A passenger must therefore step in. Although he has “no idea” how to fly the plane.
According to media reports, a passenger landed a single-engine plane at Palm Beach Airport in the US state of Florida after the failure of his pilot with the help of an air traffic controller. The broadcaster CNN reported, citing radio traffic, that the passenger had alerted the tower the day before and said: “I have no idea how to fly the plane.”
Air traffic controller Robert Morgan – who is also a flight instructor – told CNN that the passenger on board the plane from the Bahamas was very calm. He told the man to follow the coast and then guided him to a safe landing in Palm Beach. “Try to keep the wings straight,” said the controller. “Press the controls forward and go down very slowly,” were the instructions, as reported by the Washington Post.
“Felt like I was about to cry”
Despite the air traffic controller’s instructions, the landing was by no means easy. “I have no idea how to stop the plane. I don’t know what to do,” the passenger said. In the end, however, everything went according to plan and everyone involved arrived safely on American soil.
“I felt like I was about to cry because I had so much adrenaline pumping,” Morgan said. “I was really happy that it worked out and that nobody got hurt.” The “Washington Post” reported, citing the US aviation authority FAA, that the pilot may have had medical problems.
Two people were on board the Cessna 208 machine registered in the US state of Connecticut. Local broadcaster WPBF – which also showed a video of the landing – reported that Morgan had 20 years of experience as a controller and around 1,200 flight hours as a flight instructor.