It sounds like something straight out of the movie “Airplane”, unfortunately in this real life situation there was a death involved. 
Over Florida, the pilot of a Beech King Air died inflight and one of the passengers had to land the airplane. AP reports that there were six passengers on board and that an air traffic controller “helped the passenger down by calling a friend in Connecticut who knows the King Air plane and relaying instructions.” That actually sounds a little like “Airport ‘75”.
When I first heard of this story, it reminded me of a similar situation (I believe it was a Piper Saratoga also in Florida) where a passenger with no flying experience landed an airplane after a pilot passed out and eventually died. A Saratoga would be a challenge, but a King Air, there’s a real challenge. If the passenger was once again someone with no flying experience, we might have seen a different more tragic outcome. Luckily the passenger was a single-engine rated private pilot and apparently took instruction well and saved the other passengers.
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CNN's coverage with some ATC audio |
| AOPA coverage with most of the ATC audio |
FoxNews Video
MSNBC Video
This also reminds me of a personal story where I was working (for those that aren’t aware, I’m an air traffic controller) an airplane that I not only flew on occasion, I knew the owner and called them while at work as there was apparent trouble with the flight. Unfortunately communication couldn’t be re-established with this airplane and it later crashed in Utah killing all on board. I heard there was a memorial at the local Home Depot involving this incident, but I haven’t seen it yet.
On a lighter note in an unrelated story, but also involving Florida, airplanes, and an air traffic controller comes this from AeroNews Net:
Airpark Resident Arrested For Buzzing Neighbors Repairing Runway
Pilot Spends Night In Jail, Faces Prosecution
A pilot accused of taking out his frustrations with fellow airpark residents by buzzing them while they performed runway repairs has been charged with reckless operation of an aircraft and five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
According to the complaint, last January 3, Edwin G. Brock, 72 was upset by a maintenance-related runway closure at the Melrose Landing Airpark (FD22), located about 20 miles east of Gainesville, FL. The runway was marked with a large yellow "X" and blocked with parked cars while five residents of the fly-in community repaired cracks in the runway's surface.
Brock allegedly harassed the men for closing the runway, and then proceeded to take off in his Citabria anyway, using a grassy area parallel to the runway. He made a low pass about 50 feet over the workers' heads, and returned a half hour later with a 
lower pass, about 30 feet off the deck.
The complainants said the passes were both reckless and intentional, spurred by friction between Brock and the others. The men have since filed charges with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, and Brock was arrested last Thursday.
One of the men told the Jacksonville Times-Union that Brock has a history of reckless flying and conflicts with his neighbors.
Brock, a former air traffic controller, said he has been flying since he was 16. He denied endangering the others, saying his altitude was consistent with normal takeoff and landing operations. Brock said the real dispute was internal within the airpark's homeowners association.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.
Of course, this is all alleged at this time, but if true, it doesn’t help airports, airparks, pilots, or air traffic controllers. There are already enough people in the non (or even anti) aviation community looking for stories like this to use to further their mostly uneducated and/or ignorant view of aviation. This again reminds me of a local “cowboy” who I had to occasionally attempt (key word: attempt) to reign in for the sake of the larger local flying community. Pilots, kind of like drummers, (no offense to drummers, but you know it’s mostly true) are quite independent types and not always the easiest to, for lack of a better word, control. I know, I are one (intentional bad grammar). And I just got a drum set.
Lets not be our own worst enemies out there, alright?
(Picture sources: aircrafts.com, tvgasm.com - Airplane! The Movie - Paramount Pictures, tailwheelguy.com)
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