Passenger Lands Plane after Pilot Dies in Mid Flight

We’ve all seen this scenario in the movies, but this time it’s real. A passenger landed a plane safely in Florida yesterday after the pilot died shortly after takeoff.

FAA officials said the twin-engine private plane left left Marco Island Executive Airport Sunday and had climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet. The pilot reported to the controller upon takeoff but further attempts to give him instructions were met with silence. Shortly afterwards, another voice came on the radio – one of the passengers – saying that the pilot had passed out.

The passenger was licensed to fly single engine planes but wasn’t certified not experienced with the larger, luxury airplanes.

The controller, while juggling and rerouting other heavy air traffic, managed to instruct the passenger on flying and landing the plane, which landed safely at Southwest Florida International Airport.

5 lives were saved as a result of the passengers quick thinking and the controllers assistance.