Could you fly a plane in an emergency? Given the sorry state of air travel these days, it’s a question on some people’s minds.
Thankfully, you will more than likely never encounter such a dire scenario. However, that doesn’t mean people haven’t thought about it.
In fact, many people are confident that they could land a plane in an emergency. One 2023 survey found that a third of Americans think they could safely land a passenger aircraft, provided they had air traffic control’s guidance. Among male respondents, almost half were confident they could do so.
So, if you’re going to be in this situation, what do you need to know? One user on TikTok has the answers.
What Should You Know Before Trying To Land A Plane?
Filming from the cockpit of a Boeing 767, TikTok user Pete (@pilotpete.fly) says that, if one is going to pilot a plane in an emergency situation, there is one button with which they should get acquainted.
“One of the most important buttons is gonna be right here,” he says, pressing a button on the top of the dashboard.
“That’s the autopilot,” he explains. “So you’re gonna click that on, let the airplane do its thing, fly itself.”
From there, Pete says to make contact with air traffic control. With proper guidance, he says, “I’m sure you could land the 767, no problem.”
Can You Really Land A Plane Without Any Training?
While there have been cases of people landing small aircraft with help from air traffic control, the likelihood of landing a plane the size of a 767 without experience is pretty slim.
That’s only if they’re directly flying the plane. However, as many flight processes can be automated, it’s possible that someone in the cockpit could land the plane with the plane’s autopilot and AutoLand systems.
Naturally, these systems are fallible. This is why pilots do not always rely on them and instead use their own expertise and judgment to successfully fly planes.
This expertise is honed over a long period of time. To become a commercial pilot, one needs at least 1,500 hours of experience. The average pilot has significantly more than this. Captains typically have thousands of hours of flight experience.
Has This Ever Happened?
Thankfully, it has not.
There was one case in which a pilot had a heart attack and the plane was piloted by an off-duty pilot on board. However, cases like these are rare, as pilots are thoroughly checked for potential issues prior to a flight. If something occurs in mid-air, the co-pilot can step in to take over flying.
There are numerous cases of the latter happening. For example, a flight from Moscow landed early after its pilot had a heart attack. The co-pilot was able to pilot the plane during this time.
In another, more dramatic case, a co-pilot was piloting the plane while the captain was in the bathroom. During this time, the co-pilot had a health issue, trapping the captain out of the cockpit for 10 minutes. Thankfully, the autopilot controlled the plane, and the captain was able to re-enter the cockpit and divert the plane to the nearest airport.
Commenters Have Thoughts
In the comments section, many users insisted that they would be able to fly the plane in an emergency situation.
“My toxic trait is thinking I can do this,” wrote a user.
“I can do it,” declared another.
Others simply hoped that they would simply never be in this situation.
“This is doing nothing for my phobia of flying. I’d need resuscitation if I heard the announcement, ‘is there a pilot on board’,” said a commenter.
“I’m about to faint just thinking of it. I might be able to say Mayday on the walkie talkie thing,” shared a second.
BroBible reached out to Pete via email.