An inexperienced passenger safely landed a private plane at a Florida airport on Tuesday afternoon, May 10, after the pilot was unable to perform the maneuver.
As the situation unfolded, the passenger could be heard telling the air traffic control that he did not know how to fly the plane, according to liveATC.net.
"I have a serious situation here," the unidentified passenger said in the audio. "My pilot has become incoherent and I have no idea how to fly a plane." Then an air traffic controller began to give the passenger instructions on landing the plane, according to the audio recording. The aircraft finally landed at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
"Try to keep your wings level and see if you can start descending. Push the handle forward and go down at a very slow pace, ”the air traffic controller can be heard telling the man.
Another air traffic controller can be heard telling other planes what happened. "You just heard a passenger land the plane," the control tower operator said, telling an American Airlines pilot waiting to take off for Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Did you say the passengers landed on the plane?" the American Airlines pilot asked. "Oh God. Great job, "he said. Two people were on board a single-engine Cessna 208 when the pilot had a "possible medical condition," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The condition of the pilot was not immediately known.