Passenger With No Pilot Experience Takes Over Emergency Landing After Pilot Fell Ill

Aug 31, 2022 by apost team

On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 39-year-old Darren Harrison experienced what he considered the scariest moment of his life when his pilot fell unconscious in the middle of his flight. 

According to a statement released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot of the single-engine Cessna 208 was flying to Florida from the Bahamas when he experienced "a medical emergency." He explained to the two passengers in his small plane that he wasn't feeling well. The sudden illness resulted in him passing out and putting the aircraft into a nosedive state. Not only had the pilot collapsed onto the control flannel, but the plane was adverted into a deep downward dive.

Recognizing the danger of the situation, Harrison, who had no previous flight experience, entered the cockpit and took control of the aircraft. After quickly steering the plane, Harrison called Fort Pierce Tower at Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida, to let them know about what happened.

Next, Harrison spoke with Controller Christopher "Chip" Flores at Fort Pierce Tower. According to the FAA, Flores coached Harrison through the process, advising him to fly straight as his colleague, Justin Boyle, attempted to locate the plane. Once the team located the plane, which was 20 miles off the shore, Flores instructed Harrison to call the Palm Beach Air Traffic Facility. Controller Robert Morgan, a certified flight instructor with prior experience flying the aircraft, guided Harrison to the Palm Beach Airport. 

With clear and concise instructions from Morgan, Harrison landed the private plane safely at Palm Beach International Airport in what many have called a "miracle landing."

Harrison opened up about the harrowing experience in an interview with Today

During an interview with Today, the heroic passenger recalled that he knew something was wrong before entering the cockpit.

"By the time I had moved forward to the front of the airplane, I realized that we had now gone into a dive," Harrison said. "All I saw, when I came up the front, was water out the right window, and I knew it was coming quick. Very, very quickly."

Harrison quickly grabbed the controls. Harrison said he replied on "common sense" and his prior knowledge of flying to steer the plane. Harrison guided the aircraft to the Palm Beach Airport without incident. He referred to his mental state as "calm and collected." 

"I knew it was a life or death situation," he told the outlet. "Either you do what you have to do to control the situation or you're gonna die."

"And that's what I did," he concluded. Under the guidance of Controller Robert Morgan, Harrison landed the plane. The moment the aircraft landed, the soon-to-be father was overwhelmed with emotions. 

"I said thank you for everything, and I threw the headset on the dash and said the biggest prayer I've ever said in my life," he recalled. 

Harrison's last prayer was for the pilot, who was released from the hospital Monday. The pilot, whose name has not been released, suffered an aortic dissection.

Dr. Nishant Patel, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center who treated the pilot, explained the pilot's odds of survival when he spoke to Today. 

"Fifty percent of patients won't make it to the hospital, and then 50% of patients that do make it to the hospital will pass away within 24 hours without prompt diagnosis and treatment," Patel told the outlet. 

The surgeon referred to the pilot's recovery as "miraculous."

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After hearing that story, do you have any new fears about flying? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends, too.