Want to know what’s worse than flying back with your family after your brother’s funeral? Turbulence? Poor service? No peanuts? Try having to land the plane after the pilot dies.
Doug White of Archibald, Louisiana did just that. Flying with his family from Marco Island, Florida to Jackson, Mississippi following a funeral service for his brother, Mr. White noticed the pilot’s head loll forward not too long after taking off.
His instincts told him that he, his family, and the pilot were in deep trouble. His instincts were right. The pilot was dead, and the plane was on autopilot, flying at around 5000 ft.
With his wife and daughters in hysterics, Doug White kept his composure, and like something out of the movies, took the controls and attempted to land the plane. He contacted the air traffic controllers, and called on his experience piloting smaller planes. With the help of air traffic controllers, White was successful in bringing the aircraft down in one piece.
The cause of the pilot’s death has not been reported. [National Post]
