Passenger with ‘no idea how to fly’ takes over plane from stricken pilot

In this still image from video by WPTV shows emergency personnel surrounding a Cessna plane at Palm Beach International Airport Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in West Palm Beach, Fla. A passenger with no flying experience was able to land the plane safely with help of air traffic controllers after the pilot was too sick to handle the controls. (WPTV via AP)

A passenger with no flying experience radioed an urgent plea for help when the pilot of a small plane suddenly fell ill off Florida’s Atlantic coast, and landed the plane safely with the help of air traffic controllers.

“I’ve got a serious situation here,” the man said on Tuesday afternoon, according to audio on LiveATC.net, a website that broadcasts and archives air traffic controller communications.