After the pilot experienced a medical emergency while airborne, a passenger with no flight experience took control and landed the plane at Palm Beach International Airport. The whole audio recording of the incident was shared online by TikTok user FlightSimStuff.
The audio depicts the dramatic moment when the passenger contacts air traffic control for advice on how to land the single-engine Cessna while keeping astonishingly calm throughout.
“I’ve got a serious situation here. “My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the plane,” stated the passenger, who was travelling above the Florida coast at the time.
Robert Morgan, an experienced air traffic controller and flight instructor, answered the call and inquired about the plane’s location.
“I have no idea,” said the aircraft’s new passenger pilot.
Fortunately for the man, Morgan was able to retrieve an image of the Cessna’s controls and, using his skills as an instructor, begin offering instructions on how to gradually lower the plane into Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
Surprisingly, the passenger was able to bring the plane down into a smooth landing at the airport without even turning on the navigation screen.
“You just witnessed a couple of passengers land that plane,” the tower operator explained to a nearby pilot preparing to take off.
“Did you say the passengers landed the airplane?” responded the pilot.
“Oh, my God. Great job.”
Both passengers and the rookie pilot must have been absolutely petrified.
A local Florida reporter, Ari Hait, submitted the 30-second video below, which shows the jet approaching the runway, a little shaky but overall okay.
The pilot’s condition is unknown and the passenger is taking time off from work to keep the story “low key.”