Can non-pilots land a plane in an emergency?

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[jojothetasmaniansassmonkey]

on a plane with over 100 passengers on board, i feel like the odds of at least one person having either a private or commercial pilot's license is pretty decent.

[SeanBenward]

A bit misleading on the title don't you think? Perhaps more accurately the title should read "Can nonpilots and an ex-pilot land a plane using a flight simulator with two days of training?"

[nadirabdykeyev]

Now the same test is required for those "very confident" ones 😀

[richard]

The chances of this actually happening is 0.00001%.
And aren't we glad of that?

[facitenonvictimarum]

Can non-brain surgeons perform a lobotomy in an emergency?

[oneworld]

During aerial photography runs a retired Coast Guard pilot really enjoyed the fact I was intrigued with flight, and several times had me line up to runways several miles out. When I'd mentioned the "might fall out of the sky" sensation I was having, he demonstrated that fixed wing aircraft WANT to stay in the sky :) It actually takes more effort than you'd think to get that plane back on the ground. Imagine finding yourself in that position with Lloyd Bridges and Johnny coaching you to a landing. "Johnny, what do you make of this???"

[iawhitaker]

Appears as though they are lined up for the landing. Finding the airport would be the first problem

[TheLiamster]

I landed a space shuttle in a simulator at the Kennedy Space Center

[yabbadabbadoo]

Ground crews are pretty good at sorting out a plane landing, just needs a confident player at the yoke

[susanne]

"Mentour Pilot" did an excellent collab about this with Tom Scott: "Challenge Accepted! Can Tom Scott Land a B737 By Himself?!" Much more detail why it could work.

[highspec_tech]

Never had any real-world flight experience as a pilot.
I've simply spent a lot of time on MSFS. I'm a big fan of study level modern airliners, they're totally worth the money. Bought the Fenix Airbus A320 and the PMDG 737-700/737-800 as well as the ATR 72-600/42-600 turbo props.
I've spent tonnes of hours leaning on these planes, including the aircraft systems. I've written out my own checklists to start these aircraft up from cold & dark, programming the flight plan and take off configurations. I've also learnt how to fly an ILS arrival so definitely know how to get the plane to it's arrival airport, in these types of aircraft at least. I also have access to all the Jepesen airport charts around the world through Navigraph.

Fun Fact: The pilot & and co-pilot never have the same meal in case one of them gives you food poisoning.

[thecaynuck]

I find it hilarious how they keep showing Airbus A220 footage despite the simulator being an Airbus A320. Heck, how many people know that the Airbus A220 isn't even an Airbus design, but rather a Bombardier CS100/300 that was purchased by Airbus?

[dougfisher]

If i were ever in a position to successfully land a commercial aircraft safely, i would step out of the cockpit wearing an AC/DC shirt, the pilots hat on and the Styrofoam coffee cup in my hand, and well-wish each passenger as they deboard. "Thank you for flying with us, have safe travels."

[Sakja]

An elderly lady was in the news recently for landing a plane when the pilot was indisposed.

[DeedeesJourney]

I often ponder this exact situation. Ive decided theres zero chance I'd be able to land nor would i want to risk harming others bc of my shortcomings. Id call in the emergency if i can figure out the radio and then jus look for an open area to crash out.

[thePtBassTuT]

Ladies and Gentlemen... Brace for impact! 😁😂🤣😉

[kwith]

If it was up to me, I feel that if the situation warranted it with my survival on the line, and I had people able to guide me through step by step, I'm confident that there's about a 20% chance I might be able to possibly land the plane semi-safely with sort of acceptable damages and injuries. Maybe. (And I'm being VERY generous with that 20% haha)

[erich]

As a private pilot with instrument rating, I am certain I could not safely land a jet airliner on my own! The very first thing I am doing is contacting air traffic control and asking for all the help I can possibly get; get a training captain on the line to walk me through every single step!

[MA-btui]

again and again, all this scenerarios start with communication already established....think about it!

[grahamhgt]

This is not how things would be done for real, in such a scenario there would be a highly skilled pilot on the ground (ie: at Air Trafic control) in constant touch with you via Comms, showing you how to use the autopilot settings to maintain airspeed, trim, altitude and direction settings to get you to HOPEFULLY land the aircraft safely at the nearest airport