Talk-down aircraft landing

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]
• 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]