- A passenger on a
private plane was forced to land it after the pilot suffered a medical emergency. - The plane landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport in
Florida on Tuesday.
An audio clip published by CNN reveals the moment a passenger with no flying experience landed a private plane at Palm Beach International Airport on Tuesday after the pilot became unresponsive.
The passenger, who has not been named, was on board a single-engine Cessna 208 plane when the pilot suffered a medical emergency, CNN reported. It is not clear if the man was the sole passenger.
In an audio clip, obtained by CNN, the passenger can be heard calmly telling air-traffic control at Palm Beach International Airport: "I've got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane."
After the air-traffic controller asked the passenger what his "position" is, the man is heard saying: "I have no idea. I can see the coast of Florida in front of me. And I have no idea."
The air-traffic controller proceeded to talk the passenger through a safe landing, per the audio. At one point in their conversation, the passenger is told to "push forward on the controls and descend at a very slow rate."
A video of the landing published by WPBF showed the plane landing smoothly at the airport.
The pilot was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, WPBF reported. The pilot's condition is not clear.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said it was investigating the incident, CNN reported. The agency did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
It is not unusual for private planes to have just one pilot onboard. The Cessna model in particular has been the leader in single-pilot aircraft, Insider previously reported.