Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Falls Ill, Then Dies, Mid-Flight

A passenger, with no flying experience, had to land an aeroplane after its pilot fell ill mid-flight, and then later died because of his injuries.

The pilot was one of only two people on board the plane when he collapsed, which led to a distress call being released as the plane zoomed in on Humberside Airport, England. Local servicemen prepared for a tragedy as police, fire, and ambulance crews gathered around the location.

The untrained passenger soon leapt into action, despite being a complete novice, while two flying instructors were brought in to try and advise him how to land the aircraft.

Roy Murray, who helped guide the plane down, admitted that the passenger did a “remarkable job,” and added, “He made quite a good landing, actually.”

Murray continued, “I think he’d flown once before as a passenger but never flown an aeroplane before. He didn’t know the layout of the aeroplane, he didn’t have lights on so he was absolutely flying blind as well.”

Discussing how he was able to guide the pilot down to terra firma, Murray added that he simply tried to keep the man as calm as possible before then slowly explaining the landing procedure.

The amateur pilot finally landed the plane on his fourth attempt, and Murray admitted that the entire control room in the airport erupted with applause when he did so.

Stuart Sykes, who witnessed the plane land, described the moment the aircraft finally came down to earth to the BBC, stating, “It came down with a bump, a bump, a bump, hit the front end down, I heard some crashing and it’s come to a halt. There were a few sparks and three or four crashes, that must have been the propeller hitting the floor. Then it uprighted again and it came to a stop.”

However, the celebratory mood was later dampened when it was announced the unnamed pilot had succumbed because of the illness that lead him to pass out.

[Image via ssuaphotos/Shutterstock]