SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
HARRISON: "I've got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the aeroplane."
CONTROL: "ATC: 333 Lima Delta, Roger, what's your position?"
HARRISON: "I have no idea. I can see the coast of Florida in front of me but I have no idea."
CONTROL: "Maintain wings level and just try to follow the coast, either northbound or southbound. We're trying to locate you."
On 10 May at 10,000 feet above the ocean a Cessna 208 Caravan pilot suffers aortic dissection and collapses. The other two people on board are passengers without piloting experience -- Russ Franck, 69, and Darren Harrison, 39. The plane goes into a dive. Harrison takes control, slowly levels the aircraft, establishes radio communication and gets assistance from ground controller Robert Morgan, a seasoned Cessna flight instructor. One hour later, after what Franck describes as "a normal landing", the pilot Kenneth Allen, 64, is rushed to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center where his life is saved for second time that day.
The story:
• May 11 https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/passenger-safely-lands-aircraft-after-pilot-incapacitated/
• May 11 https://medium.com/faa/miracle-in-the-air-air-traffic-controllers-guide-passenger-to-land-plane-safely-27362004f07c
• May 12 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61416384
• May 12 https://people.com/human-interest/air-traffic-controller-speaks-out-after-helping-passenger-land-plane/
• May 16 https://people.com/human-interest/passenger-who-landed-airplane-with-no-flying-experience-speaks-out/
• May 17 https://people.com/human-interest/pilot-has-miraculous-recovery-after-health-emergency-led-to-passenger-landing-plane/
• May 26 https://people.com/human-interest/pilot-who-had-medical-emergency-speaks-out-after-passenger-landed-plane/
--
Ever wanted to know how to fly an airplane just in case?
(Score: 5, Informative) by choose another one on Wednesday June 01 2022, @09:51AM
The landing wasn't necessarily the hardest part, before even getting on the radio to get any help he had to pull out of a (powered) dive, overspeed (I think, pretty sure) and risking both stall and ripping the wings off. Nerves of steel and fair bit of aviation background knowledge required. The guy down the back had this, the passenger sat next to the pilot either didn't, or froze, either way it seems he didn't touch the controls (which may have been very lucky if he didn't know).
Some good aviation/technical videos out on this already:
Mentour Pilot (for me) always strikes a good balance explaining technical details to the vaguely knowledgeable non-pilot (like me): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-W2cnnLSTM [youtube.com]
Juan Browne ('Blancolirio') has an interview with the ATC / FI which is mostly just the ATC telling the story from his POV without interruption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rad24e17_D8 [youtube.com]