Without this hero of the day the worst could have happened. Only behind the cockpit, after the inconvenience of the pilot, an inexperienced passenger managed to take control of an aircraft, and even better, land it.
The incident took place on Tuesday, May 10 in Florida, United States. As the day went by without a hitch, air traffic controllers received a disturbing radio message. At the other end of the line, a passenger in a Cessna 208 Carava, a small private jet, said the pilot had just lost consciousness.
“I have a serious problem. My driver is inconsistent. I have absolutely no idea how to fly the plane.”
Despite his inexperience, the passenger managed to manage his stress and get the situation under control thanks to the valuable advice of the air traffic controllers. After locating the aircraft, they guided the student pilot and advised: “keep the wings horizontal and try to follow the coast.” Robert Morgan, a flight instructor and controller at the Palm Beach airport, helped him approach the runway arrival as calmly as possible. The landing, which passed with flying colours, was filmed by airport agents:
Back on dry land, the student pilot had only one thing in mind: to return home to find his pregnant wife. The sick pilot was taken to hospital after the emergency landing.
Congratulations to this passenger for his heroic action.