Passenger lands plane after pilot dies

[George Schilling]

I don't know if this story made national news or not, but as a pilot, I found the audio between the controllers and the pilot/passenger interesting. Also, be sure to listen to the post landing interview. The passenger was a low time pilot in single engine fixed gear aircraft who's top speed is slower than the landing speed of the King Air. The complexity of the two aircraft are starkly different. This guy did a great job bringing her in.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/13/florid ... ostpopular" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bob Beamesderfer]

A King Air is hardly a beginner plane! Salt River Project in AZ had one; did a story on the pilot's skywriting activities in a Bucher-Jungmann bi-plane. He flew the King Air, mostly ferrying engineers to water and power plant projects around the state.

[Sebastian Rios]

I could do it.

[George Schilling]

Here's an update to the story including cockpit communications from the time the pilot dies to the landing. This is very compelling real life drama. The link for the audio is at the bottom of the story. Listen to his last remark.

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=tts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sebastian Rios]

After listening to the audio, I'm not so sure I could do it...I mean I could probably manage, but there is no way I could be as cool as that dude.

[George Schilling]

After listening to the audio, I'm not so sure I could do it...I mean I could probably manage, but there is no way I could be as cool as that dude.

I thought you'd like that. I don't know if you noticed his final words after stopping the plane, but he was starting to crack. Man that must have been an emotional rush.