The air traffic controller instructed the passenger to steer the plane. The situation was over quickly, and the small plane landed safely on the ground.
According to the magazine, the pilot of the plane flew over the controllers and the plane turned into a rush towards the ground, at which point the passenger took control of the plane.
The Cessna 208 had two passengers in addition to the pilot.
“The pilot is in a confused state and I have no idea how to control the plane,” the passenger told air traffic control minutes before landing, according to the New York Times.
The man could not tell the air traffic control exactly where the plane was.
“I see the Florida coast in front of me, and I have no idea,” the passenger told the New York Times. He also struggled to get the navigation system on.
The machine model is also unknown to the instructor
During a conversation that lasted nearly 10 minutes, the air traffic controller Christopher Flores guided the passenger in steering the plane. He was told to keep the wings of the plane horizontal, follow the coast and slow down the plane for landing.
After that, air traffic control at Palm Beach International Airport took control.
Air traffic controller Robert Morganilla had no experience with that machine model. Morgan used the cockpit instruction map as a model to guide the passenger in landing.
– I knew the plane was flying like any other plane. I knew I had to keep him calm, show him the runway and tell him how to reduce the power for the landing, Morgan told WPBF-TV according to the BBC.
According to Morgan, the situation passed quickly.
– Before I noticed, he said: I’m on the ground, how do I turn off this trick? Morgan reminded the BBC.
The men hugged the runway and took a picture. No one remembered asking for the passenger’s name.
– It was an emotional moment. She said she just wanted to get home to her pregnant wife, Morgan told the BBC.