Pilatus announced last week that its PC-12 PRO Safety Autoland system has received certification from both the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency, clearing the emergency landing function for operational use. The approval follows final certification flights that demonstrated automated operation from system activation through landing, communications and engine shutdown.
Emergency Landing System
Safety Autoland is integrated into the PC-12 PRO’s Garmin G3000 PRIME flight deck and is designed primarily for pilot-incapacitation emergencies. It can activate automatically if the system detects pilot inactivity or manually when an occupant presses a dedicated emergency button. The system then analyzes weather, aircraft status and navigation data before selecting an airport and calculating a route.
During the flight and approach, Autoland accounts for factors including weather, terrain and available fuel while managing the aircraft through the landing. It can communicate with air traffic control, provide status updates and alert emergency services before bringing the aircraft to a stop and shutting down the engine.
Approval Follows PC-12 PRO Deliveries
The PC-12 PRO received its initial FAA and EASA approvals in 2025 and began deliveries later that year, including its first U.S. delivery in November. Those aircraft incorporated the Safety Autoland system, but the function was still awaiting its separate certification. Garmin said when the PC-12 PRO was introduced that Autoland was expected to become available in 2026.
“We are honored to be able to bring this extraordinary flight deck to the popular PC-12 aircraft,” Garmin Vice President of Aviation Sales, Marketing, Programs and Support Carl Wolf said when the avionics suite was announced. “G3000 PRIME will significantly modernize the cockpit experience in the PC-12 PRO, and we are confident Pilatus customers will enjoy the state-of-the-art system with all of the safety tool features it includes.”
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