Talk-down aircraft landing explained

A talk-down landing may be attempted in the event of the death or incapacitation of an aircraft pilot. It involves a passenger or other unqualified person flying the aircraft to a landing with assistance from radioed instructions either from the ground or a nearby aircraft.

There is no record of a talk-down landing of a large commercial aircraft. There have, however, been incidents where qualified pilots travelling as passengers or flight attendants on commercial flights have taken the co-pilot's seat to assist the pilot.^[1]

• In August 2000, the pilot of a single-engine Piper Cherokee Six collapsed over the controls. A passenger, Henry Anhalt, took over the controls of the plane and managed to land the airplane safely with radio talk-down assistance from an airborne flight instructor. He, his wife, and their three sons landed safely, although the aircraft was damaged on landing.^[2]
• In an incident in April 2009, a passenger took over control of a twin-engine turboprop Beechcraft King Air after the pilot died, and managed to land the plane safely. The passenger was a pilot but had never flown a Beechcraft King Air before.^[3]
• On 27 May 2011, a woman landed an airplane of unidentified type, with talk-down assistance from another airborne pilot, after her husband, the pilot, had breathing difficulties.^[4]
• In April 2012, the pilot of a twin-engine Cessna 414 aircraft lost consciousness while flying in Wisconsin. His 80-year-old wife Helen Collins, who had only piloted a single-engine aircraft many years earlier, was able to contact air traffic control. Air traffic controllers and the pilot of a shadow aircraft then provided instruction, and she was able to crash-land the plane without serious injury. Her husband did not survive his medical emergency.^[5]
• In October 2013, the pilot of a Cessna 172 aircraft became unwell whilst flying from Skegness, Lincolnshire, England. His 77-year-old passenger, John Wildey, who had served in the Royal Air Force but not as a pilot, controlled the plane for over an hour and landed it safely at Humberside Airport under instruction from air traffic controllers, two flying instructors, and the crew of a Westland Sea King helicopter. The pilot was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.^[6] A TV documentary entitled Mayday: The Passenger Who Landed a Plane was made about the incident, including interview footage with Wildey himself.
• On 31 August 2019, the instructor of a two-seater Cessna 152 aircraft (registration VH-TFR) lost consciousness whilst on a flying lesson from Jandakot Airport, Perth, Western Australia. The 29-year-old student, Max Sylvester, on his first flying lesson in a Cessna 152, landed the aircraft undamaged at Jandakot following practice approaches, assisted by ATC and an instructor via radio. The pilot was taken to hospital and was in stable condition.^[7]
• On 10 May 2022, the passenger of a private Cessna Caravan (N333LD) with no prior flying experience landed the airplane with directions from an air traffic controller at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.^{[8] [9]}

Notes and References

1. News: Bucktin. C.. 2014-06-03. Off-duty pilot lands plane and saves 160 passengers after captain suffers heart attack. Mirror Online. 2014-07-18. dmy-all.
2. News: Passenger lands plane safely. dead. 2011-01-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20110130173816/https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96248&page=1. ABC News. 2006-01-07. 2019-04-21. dmy-all.
3. News: Passenger lands plane in Fla. after pilot dies. USA Today. 2009-04-14. 2019-04-21. dmy-all.
4. News: Passenger lands plan after pilot becomes ill. AOL News. 2011-05-27. 2019-04-21. dmy-all.
5. News: Wisconsin wife, 80, lands plane for dying pilot husband. ABC News. 2012-04-03. 2019-04-21. dmy-all.
6. Web site: Passenger lands small plane after pilot falls ill. 15 September 2020. Hui. Sylvia . The Associated Press. 9 October 2013. https://archive.today/20201005205120/https://apnews.com/article/archive-457339de564b400a9b968da1deb046a1. 5 October 2020. live.
7. News: Trainee pilot makes emergency landing at Jandakot Airport after instructor blacks out. ABC. 2019-09-01. 2019-09-02. dmy-all.
8. Web site: Passenger Who Has "No Idea" Lands Plane After Pilot Falls Ill. AirlineRatings . 10 May 2022 . 10 May 2022.
9. Web site: Cessna 208 Caravan, N333LD: May 10, 2022 at Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI), Palm Beach County, Florida. Kathryn's Report. 23 May 2022.