Passenger lands plane at SWFIA with help from tower after pilot dies mid-flight

[Whoa_Nelly]

Source: naplesnews.com

FORT MYERS — It could have ended so differently.

Five people on board a plane that took off from Marco Island Executive Airport Sunday got back on the ground safely after the pilot of their private plane died mid-air.

One passenger assisted by three air traffic controllers and a pilot relaying cockpit instructions from Connecticut worked together to avoid further tragedy.

8< -----snip

“Our controller who was working the afternoon rush tried to acknowledge him and give him climbing instructions and he never responded to us,” said Wallace, who was present during the radio discussions and monitored the radar to watch the plane’s progress.

Eventually, another voice came on the radio from the twin-engine plane. One of five passengers on board said the pilot had passed out and that the plane was still climbing on auto-pilot. What followed was a dicey 15 or 20 minutes in which several controllers worked to continue directing the normal flow of Sunday afternoon air traffic, all while helping the passenger disengage auto pilot on the plane and begin descending to Southwest Florida International Airport, which was, by then, the nearest runway.

Read more: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/12/pilot-lands-safely-swfia-after-co-pilot-loses-cons/

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:wow:

[CreekDog]

1. that guy needs a medal

...and some clean undewear. :hide:

[jobycom]

2. Ohnoes!1 Captain Philips' hasn't had his fifteen minutes yet!

Whatever shall we do with TWO national heroes AT ONCE?

(Not saying either doesn't deserve the love.)

[No Elephants]

18. Two? Boy,did I ever pick the wrong week to give up sniffing glue!

[Reform]

3. Maybe a dumb question but.....

Is there not suppose to be a co pilot?

[strategery blunder]

4. Private plane. Five passengers.

Didn't even have to read the full article at link to get that.

You're thinking of commercial airliners.

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. Not a dumb question at all, but no.

Not on airplanes below a certain size.

Snaps to whoever it was that landed it, BTW.

Talk about clear thinking under pressure....

[lostnotforgotten]

21. Nope - Only Required For Transport Category Aircraft Engaged In Passenger Carrying Operations

Small aircraft are not categorized as "Transport Category" for the most part.

[woo me with science]

6. Mr. Patroni! Mr. Patroni!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Kudos to the brave passenger who did this...

[razors edge]

7. I'll never be over Nacho Grande,

Anybody here like Gladiator movies?

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ1NzcwODU1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDIzNjcxMg@@._V1._CR72,0,580,580_SS100_.jpg

[krispos42]

9. The poor guy might develop some kind of drinking problem

:rofl:

[Bicoastal]

12. I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.

And stop calling me Shirley.

[krispos42]

14. If you every get a chance, watch "Zero Hour!", the movie that inspired "Airplane!"

You'll have flashbacks while you watch it! :-)

[conspirator]

17. What a bad day do give up amphetamines :) nt

[hlthe2b]

8. Landed by a single-engine rated pilot....

who had never flown a twin engine. Impressive. No doubt about it...

I wonder, though what they would have done in the absence of anyone with pilot experience....I would say they got very lucky.

[Ex Lurker]

10. Archibald, LA, where the plane is based

there's not even a town there. It's literally a sign on the highway and nothing else. I wonder what's up with that. Some big farming operation maybe.

[krispos42]

11. I could probably do that

Set transponder to 7700.

Tune radio to 121.5 MHz.

Scream "Mayday" until somebody responds.





I know what the controls do and I can read the instruments. VORTAC, trim, flaps, engine speed, prop pitch, altimeter, airspeed indicator, compass, turn/slip indicator, aritifical horizon, etc.


The landing would be the hard part. And god help me if the weather's not good.

[Historic NY]

15. Don't forget the autopilot.

You need to deflate him.

[krispos42]

16. Well okay, but once he's deflated, I'm not re-inflating him!

:crazy:

[DavidDvorkin]

13. Hollywood actually made this movie before the event even happened!

More than once, at that.

[No Elephants]

19. Most people on this thread had the same idea. Shows what a great movie Airplane is.

[lumberjack_jeff]

22. Pity the pilot didn't see the movie or he wouldn't have eaten the fish. n/t

[GinaMaria]

20. What do you make of this?

I can make a brooch or a teradactyl...