"My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane."
A passenger with no flying experience radioed an urgent plea for help when the pilot of a small plane suddenly fell ill off Florida's Atlantic coast, and was able to land the plane safely with the help of air traffic controllers.
"I've got a serious situation here," the passenger, later identified as Darren Harrison, said on Tuesday afternoon, according to audio on LiveATC.net, a website that broadcasts and archives air traffic controller communications."I've got a serious situation here," the man said over the radio.
"My pilot has become incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane or even land it."
An air traffic controller in Fort Pierce responded, asking if he knew the position of the single-engine Cessna 280.
An air traffic controller in Fort Pierce responded, asking if he knew the position of the single-engine Cessna 280. "I have no idea. I can see the coast of Florida in front of me, and I have no idea," Harrison said. According to US flight tracker Flight Aware, the plane had taken off earlier on Tuesday local time from Marsh Harbour International Airport in the Bahamas.
As the plane flew over Florida, the controller, speaking very calmly, told Harrison to "maintain wings level and try to follow the coast, either north or southbound." Twin controls enable a Cessna 280 to be steered from the passenger seat.
Minutes passed before controllers were able to locate the plane, which by then was heading north over Boca Raton.
As the plane flew over Florida, the controller, speaking very calmly, told Harrison to "maintain wings level and try to follow the coast, either north or southbound." Twin controls enable a Cessna 280 to be steered from the passenger seat.
Minutes passed before controllers were able to locate the plane, which by then was heading north over Boca Raton.
Air traffic controller Robert Morgan, a 20-year veteran, took over at that point, talking the passenger down to a safe landing. "Kudos to the new pilot," one controller told him after the plane smoothly wheeled down the tarmac.
The air traffic controller - who also teaches new pilots - helped guide the man down to Palm Beach International Airport just after noon on Tuesday.
The two later met on the tarmac for a hug.
The pilot of the Cessna 208 had been flying to Florida from the Bahamas when he told his two passengers he wasn't feeling well, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
He fell against the controls, putting the small aircraft into a nosedive and a sharp turn.
The recording of the incident can be heard here
https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3
Aircraft Information:
Owner/Operator: Tailwind Air
Code: TQ/PGN
Aircraft: Cessna 208 Caravan
Registration: N333LD
Serial Number: 20800530
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