King Air - interesting landing

[Jim727]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/13/florida.plane.emergency/index.html

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- It's a nightmarish scenario straight out of the movies: A passenger is forced to land a plane after its pilot becomes incapacitated.
Officials released little information about those aboard the flight Monday.

Officials released little information about those aboard the flight Monday.

But it became a reality for a passenger on board a plane over Florida on Sunday, and for the air traffic controllers who helped him land safely in what the National Air Traffic Controllers' Association called "an Easter miracle."

The incident began about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The plane, a Super King Air two-engine turboprop with four passengers on board, was headed to Jackson, Mississippi, from Marco Island, Florida, about 18 miles south of Naples.

The plane entered the jurisdiction of air traffic control at Miami Center, the facility responsible for high-altitude air traffic in southern Florida and the Caribbean, according to a statement issued by the air traffic controllers' association.

The pilot notified controllers that the plane was at 9,000 feet and climbing, said Steve Wallace, Miami Center spokesman for the association. However, a controller at the center tried twice to raise the pilot after that and received no response, Wallace said.

After a moment or two, a different voice came over the radio: that of the passenger, who told air traffic controllers that the pilot was unconscious and they needed help immediately.

The man was a pilot but was certified only in single-engine aircraft and had never flown a King Air, according to the air traffic controllers' association statement. The difference, experts said, is not like driving a different model of car. A turboprop multi-engine, Wallace said, "probably lands at a faster speed than he's ever flown a single-engine plane before."

The man told air traffic controllers it appeared the pilot had died, according to the statement, and he reported that the plane's autopilot was on and the plane was continuing to climb from 10,000 feet.

Two air traffic controllers set about helping him disengage the autopilot as other controllers stepped in to lighten their workload. One of the two was called over to help because of her extensive experience as a pilot and the fact that she is a licensed flight instructor, Wallace said.

Meanwhile, a third controller coordinated the rerouting of all aircraft in the area and transmitted emergency information to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, about 35 miles north of Naples.

"Our controller walked him through disengaging the autopilot," stopping the climb and beginning a descent toward Fort Myers, Wallace said.

The controllers then turned the plane over to air traffic controllers at the airport. One of them had called a friend who was certified in the King Air planes for advice.

"When the friend had gotten out his flight checklists, manuals and cockpit layout sheets, he was able to issue instructions through the controller to another controller, who then relayed that information to the passenger flying the plane," the statement said.

"They walked him through flipping the switches, turning the knobs," Wallace said. The passenger landed the plane safely on his first try.

Little information was released Monday on those involved. The plane was carrying a family, said Victoria Moreland, spokeswoman for Southwest Florida International Airport, but the name of the passenger who landed it was not released, as he had told officials he did not want to speak to the media. The family took a commercial flight home later Sunday, Moreland said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has not given any of the involved air traffic controllers permission to speak about the incident, Wallace said. However, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association lauded all of those involved in landing the plane.

"If you were to ask any one of the controllers who worked this even about what happened over the skies of south Florida, they would tell you that it was just a typical day at the office and that it was merely their job," association President Patrick Forrey said in the statement. "However, the actions they all took to save the passengers aboard the flight were beyond heroic."

Moreland and the association said the pilot's death was confirmed after the plane landed. The cause of death was unclear, Moreland said, and the pilot's name was not released.

It's rare for a pilot to suffer a medical emergency during a flight, said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Frederick, Maryland-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The organization issues a yearly summary of accident trends and factors based on National Transportation Safety Board reports involving aircraft of less than 12,500 pounds -- smaller than the King Air involved in Sunday's incident.

According to the most recent report, which covers the year 2007, out of 22 million general aviation flight hours -- or an estimated 15 million to 20 million flights -- only six instances of a pilot's medical incapacitation were reported, he said. In four of those instances, the pilot died.

Aboard larger planes, the number of such occurrences likely is even smaller, he said.

But "that's actually something that pilots are trained to do is, if you need help, remember there's somebody on the other end of the radio who can provide that help," Dancy said. And although landing an unfamiliar aircraft is difficult, the passenger's basic knowledge and experience in flying worked to his advantage, he said.

The plane, built in 1982, is owned by a company called White Equipment Leasing based in Archibald, Louisiana, according to a search of FAA records. Attempts to find contact information for the company were unsuccessful Monday.

[widebody911]

Mythbusters did a bit where they were talked through landing a 747 simulator.

[Jim727]

Definitely a "Walter Mitty Moment"

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Agreed - huge difference between the "feel" of landing an aircraft like the King Air and a light single. I used to fly Be99s (similar to the King Air in many ways, though older) and although it still is an airplane like a Cessna 172, the feel, speeds, etc. are completely different.

In some respects however, flying turboprops is easier. You have gobs of power and it comes on pretty quickly. The toughest thing to get used to is the inertia of the aircraft - it's all about planning ahead, nailing the speeds and managing kinetic energy.

Nice bit of flying though - great story!

[URY914]

Maybe he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night....

[Tim Hancock]

Pretty cool story, but being a SEL pilot also, I am very confident that I could land one of those also in clear day vfr type weather provided I had a decent length runway to set down on... especially with help on the radio.

[Embraer]

king air is an easy plane to land. 100kts over the fence...cake walk. kudos to the pax though

[widgeon13]

Given the circumstances, I think a King Air was a great plane for this kind of experience.

Didn't say he greased it in but he did get it down.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Pretty cool story, but being a SEL pilot also, I am very confident that I could land one of those also in clear day vfr type weather provided I had a decent length runway to set down on... especially with help on the radio.

I was thinking the same thing. At least this guy had his private ticket. If the person taking over the left seat had ZERO flying experience, the outcome probably would have been a bit different (ATC help or not). Still, kudos to the guy for gettin' it done!

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

I was thinking the same thing. At least this guy had his private ticket. If the person taking over the left seat had ZERO flying experience, the outcome probably would have been a bit different (ATC help or not). Still, kudos to the guy for gettin' it done!

Oh hell yeah, I can't imagine a non pilot with no experience even being able to land a Cessna 150 "successfully". I have flown many different types of general aviation airplanes, some of which required higher than average approach/landing speeds, but I could imagine a very low time C150 driver might have more trouble than someone who has had experience in a wide variety of different types of aircraft.

[KarlCarrera]

Plenty of time in an Archer, but I'm thinking I would have had my hands full, given the circumstances.

Very good job by all involved. Hat's off to the pilot and the controllers.

Karl
88 Targa

[jyl]

I remember, when I was a kid, reading about a kid (not more than 10 y/o) with zero flying experience who was talked through a landing when his dad, who was in the pilot's seat, died of a heart attack. It was a single engine plane. I must have read it in Readers Digest.

[Hard-Deck]

That's some good flying. Couple up his experience level with the trauma of just having the pilot die in front of you in flight and this is even a bigger challenge.

I would probably pull into AOA profile on final, stall and die.

[T77911S]

i am an FAA tech. i dont think anyone here could talk him down because i am not sure if any are pilots. its funny how TV always gives air traffic the know how to talk i guy down like that though.
sounded like it was a charter?

[BlueSideUp]

The media has latched onto this one but really the guy was a licensed private pilot. It's already been said that there was obviously stress with the pilot having a heart attack and all. As long as both engines keep turning a King Air doesn't land much different than a Bonanza.

Put the same guy in a jet though and you may see fireworks. If he had no flight experience I'd give him a 10% chance of crashing a jet on airport property if he could figure out how to work the radio.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by BlueSideUp

The media has latched onto this one but really the guy was a licensed private pilot. It's already been said that there was obviously stress with the pilot having a heart attack and all. As long as both engines keep turning a King Air doesn't land much different than a Bonanza.

Yup. Had he been a non-pilot it would have been much more impressive. Still, kudos for dealing with a stressful situation.

Considering that we build King-Airs, this looks like a great marketing tool. "King Air - so easy to fly, anyone can do it!"

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Considering that we build King-Airs, this looks like a great marketing tool. "King Air - so easy to fly, anyone can do it!"

Cool! Maybe you know of Mike Mullins' Super King Air then? That would be another great marketing tool. Just pay him to give rides to perspective clients. That thing is an ELEVATOR! Of course, it's not exactly factory-spec...

[p911dad]

I have made a few landings in an older King Air, back when we had one on a lease back as an operator for a local branch of a larger multinational. I never qualified, but got to fly it a little as an unannounced copilot, back in the day, with no passengers in the back. Believe it or not, that aircraft is not a handful and is made for easy landings. Since that pilot had good experience with other aircraft, he wouldn't or shouldn't have had too much trouble. The big difference in flying a heavy aircraft vs a light plane is to keep the speed up on final and fly by the numbers, otherwise you can get a sink rate started that can make a mess on short final(like hit the lights).

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Maybe you know of Mike Mullins' Super King Air then?

Ha! I do. Group I was with jumped it at Quincy maybe 15-25 times one year, doing CRW. Mike's a nice guy, and a real character. I'll never forget the jump where he forgot to cut on jump run and we all got out the door and got big at 165MPH...

Very odd still being upright and nearly level with the aircraft for ages and having to wait a good 4-5 seconds to pitch forward and start slowing down to terminal velocity... Which hurt. Luckily, everyone realized something was unusual and no-one pitched into the prop blast...

Quincy staff made a really big deal about the 727 running in @ 120MPH, but it was kind of an anti-climax after that...


I don't believe the King Air is that easy to fly, personally. Or at least that there's areas in it's envelope where it's kind of touchy or requires a "feel" that other aircraft might not.

Based mostly on one load I did where the regular skydiver driver was taking a break and the owner flew the plane (which he didn't do often, but he WAS rated for it, he had 1000's of hours in Otters and Cessnas - which he flew perfectly acceptably, and it was his plane, after all).

The thing porpoised badly on jump run from the moment it was called and the door opened with the stall horn blaring on and off. Rarely have I been so happy to exit an aircraft - and it's not often I stay as low getting out as I did that time.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by spuggy

I'll never forget the jump where he forgot to cut on jump run and we all got out the door and got big at 165MPH...

Ah, a fellow skydog I see (there are a few of us on here).

Funny, the same thing happened to me in a Twin Beech @ Shelton (pre-Kapowsin). It probably wasn't 165kts but it sure got my attention!

For jump ships, I've always preferred the Twin (Super) Otter over the King Air. But, I'd take either over that death-trap Twin Beech any day!

Blue Skies...