It’s the dream story for many a pilot: The commercial pilot in the left seat becomes incapacitated and you have to take over and save the day. It happened in real life earlier this month, except the person taking over wasn’t a pilot, and controller Robert Morgan had to talk him down for a landing at Palm Beach. In this long interview by Juan Browne on the Blancolirio YouTube channel, Morgan explains how he did it. One surprise not revealed in the general media coverage is that Morgan did the whole thing from the TRACON, not the tower. Passenger Darren Harrison landed the Cessna Caravan without a hitch. In fact, he did so well some thought he had prior aviation experience. NBC did an interview with Harrison that adds detail at the expense of a little cringiness.
Best Of The Web: Controller Who Talked Down The Caravan Passenger
Key Takeaways:
- A non-pilot passenger, Darren Harrison, successfully landed a Cessna Caravan at Palm Beach after the pilot became incapacitated.
- Air Traffic Controller Robert Morgan guided Harrison to a safe landing, providing instructions from the TRACON rather than the tower.
- Harrison executed the landing flawlessly, surprising many with his proficiency despite having no prior flight experience.
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