A passenger landed a twin-engine plane at Southwest Florida International Airport after the pilot died in flight, saving four lives, according to an April 13 Associated Press report in The Miami Herald.
Federal Aviation Administration officials said the pilot died after takeoff in a King Air from Marco Island Executive Airport on April 12. The plane was on autopilot and climbing through 10,000 feet at the time.
The passenger who took the controls has been a licensed private pilot for 20 years, but only for single-engine airplanes, the report said. He was not certified to fly the King Air. To instruct him, an air traffic controller called a friend in Connecticut who is qualified to fly that King Air model. The passenger was able to land the plane safely.
The plane was headed toward Jackson, Mississippi, the report said. The names of the pilot and passengers had not been released as this story was posted on GeneralAviationNews.com.
To read the complete story: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/997468.html
