Passenger lands plane at Humberside Airport after pilot falls ill

A PASSENGER had to leap into action on board a small aircraft, after the pilot fell ill at the controls.
The passenger, a man who was the only other person on board, had to take over and land the aeroplane at Humberside Airport.
​A passenger had to land a plane at Humberside Airport after the pilot fell ill at the controls.

Two flying instructors were called in by Humberside Airport to talk the passenger through the landing, shortly before 8pm tonight (Tuesday, October 8).
The passenger, who is believed to have some flying experience, had never landed a plane before - but successfully touched down at the third attempt.

Roy Murray, owner and chief instructor of the Frank Morgan School of Flying was called in to speak to the passenger.
He said: "I first got a call from one of the students in my flying school, telling me the airport was looking for a pilot or instructor.
"I rang the control tower and they told me they had an incident involving a passenger and a pilot.
"The pilot had passed out and the passenger was having to fly the plane.
"The passenger seemed quite calm when I spoke to him.
"He had some experience flying but had never landed a plane before.
"We tried to land him on one runway, but the sun was shining in his eyes too much so we got him round to another one.
"All he said was that he had a dry throat, so I talked to him and told him what to do.
"The lack of light made it even more of a dangerous situation, and in my mind this man did a remarkable job.
"I have 30 years of flying experience, and I have only done this once - and that was during daylight.
"Doing this at night is a whole different ball game, and it is so difficult to assess how far the plane is from the ground.
"When I saw him come past the control tower I could see he was going to make it, and he has done a very good job given the situation."
Officials at the airport, near Barnetby in North Lincolnshire, say a full emergency plan involving police and fire crews had been in operation.
Details of the pilot's condition are yet to be released, and roads around the airport were temporarily closed.
They have since re-opened, and flights are running normally following delays to incoming aircraft from Amsterdam and Aberdeen.

Source: This is scunthorpe