The pilot of the private plane had a medical issue and the passenger without flying experience safely landed the plane at the Florida airport.
The plane landed at the Palm Beach International Airport. The aircraft left Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas an hour and a half earlier, according to Flight Aware.
The F.A.A. said only two people were on the plane. Both are unidentified.
The passenger was forced to take over the flight minutes before the landing.
The passenger told the controller at the tower in Fort Pierce, Fla., that there was a serious situation.
The passenger said he didn't know where the plane was.
I see the coast of Florida in front of me, but I have no idea how to turn on the navigation system, said the passenger, who was also struggling to turn on the navigation system.
The passenger was told by the air traffic controller to hold the wings level, follow the coastline and attempt to descend after a nearly 10-minute exchange. Air traffic control at the airport took over.
Robert Morgan, the air-traffic controller who said he helped the passenger land the plane in Palm Beach, talked about the experience in an interview with WPBF.
I knew the plane was flying like any other plane, so I had to keep him calm, point him to the runway and tell him how to descend to land.
Mr. Morgan told WPBF that he had never flown a plane before. He found cockpit images online.
He asked how to turn off the thing before he knew it. The passenger was hugged by him on the tarmac.
Private pilots with a single-engine class rating need at least 40 hours of flight time, including at least 10 hours of solo flying and multiple takeoffs and landings, according to federal aviation laws.
Records from the F.A.A. show that the owner of the plane is a limited liability corporation in Delaware. The corporation was not reachable for comment.
One patient was taken to an area hospital after the emergency landing, according to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
Kitty Bennett was involved in research.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
