A medical emergency left a pilot on a small private plane unable to fly. Mid-air, one of the two passengers on board had no choice but to get the job done himself.
The man was a passenger on a Cessna Caravan, a plane that can hold up to 13 passengers, when it was flying near Boca Raton, Florida. At the time, the passenger didn't know where the plane was located and had to figure out how to contact air traffic control for assistance. He was able to get on the radio and get help, but even the professionals themselves were amazed at how smoothly the whole process went.
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After the man reached out via radio, air traffic control was able to get him a controller who was also a flight instructor to help guide him in landing the plane. With the help of a Google image, the controller was able to figure out what gear the plane had and help the man with zero flight experience land the plane flawlessly.
The passenger on the May 10 flight never imagined there could be a situation that would force him to take control of the aircraft. It came to that when the pilot became "incoherent" as the result of a medical emergency. The passenger did everything he could to remain calm as he reached out to air traffic control.
"I've got a serious situation here," the unidentified passenger said in the audio.
"My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane."
Air traffic control staff gave the man instructions. They had a controller who was also an experienced flight instructor help guide the man. The controller looked up the plane's control panel and used it to give the man the most specific instructions possible.
"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 air traffic controller told the man.
"Try to follow the coast either north or southbound. We're trying to locate you."
Once they located the plane, they directed him to Palm Beach International Airport, which happened to be the biggest and closest area for the plane to land. The plane was a little unsteady as it came down, but it still landed safely.
"You just witnessed a couple of passengers land that plane," the tower operator is heard telling an American Airlines pilot waiting to take off.
"Did you say the passengers landed the airplane?" the American Airlines pilot asked. "Oh my God. Great job."
