Pilot Dies! Passenger TRIES To Land Plane!

The pilot flying your family just slumped over and is not responding. The airplane is climbing and you can't figure out how to stop it. Your wife and two kids are in the back and now it's up to you to save them and yourself. Can you fly the plane and figure out how to land before you run out of fuel or crash?

This was the scenario for Doug White and his family. They had just attended the funeral for Doug's brother and are now flying a charter flight home. This is Doug's second time in a King Air aircraft, both times as a passenger. However, he never expected he would have to learn how to be a pilot and fly when the pilot slumped over and died shortly after takeoff.

This was a nightmare scenario! Although this happened on a charter flight, it also happened on an American Airlines flight when the pilot died as the plane was taking off! That's probably one of the worst times for a pilot to die! If you want to see how that turned out, check out the full video here:

Subscribe to the channel

#airlines #aviation #pilotdies

This channel is for entertainment purposes only and represents solely my opinion and not the opinion, views, or position of anyone else.

[Loiyaboy]

"It ain't over til its over, friend" may be the most bad ass real life thing I've ever heard.

[squib]

the lady controller did a TREMENDOUS job calming down the situation and knowing how to keep Doug prioritized.

[stvrob]

I bet he never imagined how important his brief flight experience early in his life would become decades later.
Well Done Mr. Doug. Very well done.

[Gslice-okck]

Shout out to Doug’s family for not screaming and panicking in the background allowing him to fully concentrate on flying.

[Das_Bird]

Doug made an excellent speech at NATCA following this incident. Truly unbelievable. He even went on earn all of his additional ratings and flew relief missions to Haiti. Absolutely inspirational.

[UkDave]

Everyone involved in this incident deserves nothing but the highest praise, but Doug? Man Doug is a stone cold legend, and a credit to his name 👏👏

[madr]

I watched this right after the Pilot Debrief video about TNflyinggirl's fatal crash. Someone in the comments said that she knew how to fly the plane, but not how to be an aviator. This was exactly the opposite; Doug didn't know how to fly the plane, but boy did he know how to be an aviator. The reason that this tragedy only resulted in one death, rather than five, is all down to his cool head and calm judgment. I'm sorry Hoover didn't include Doug's final comment to ATC, when he was down and safe; his voice shakes and you can hear the worry, fear, and relief that he'd been suppressing in the name of getting his family down on the ground safely. What an amazing airman.

[grthillbilly]

Old Doug is a true hero. Don’t know Doug or his family, but I was thankful for the ice water running through his veins.

[jjjjj]

That female controller had such a wise, emotionally-intelligent approach and a calm demeaor. She handled this situation like she has been there 68x before. Great controller.

[Crackrocksteady]

This dude will be a legend in his kids eyes and this story will live on for generations in their family

[toddmoone]

Went to his brothers funeral. Pilot dies in the air. He's trying to save his family. Jesus. Can't make this shit up. He needs a true blessing.

[ig]

The lady controller was a boss. Incredible. The male controller was smooth and incredibly calm. What a hero.

[Rikki]

I've heard the entire narrative on this before. If he had added a few more seconds to the video you would have heard Doug thanking the controller profusely as his voice finally began to break with gratitude and emotion. Remember, he didn't just save himself. He saved his family, his loved ones.

[Farnsworth]

Doug is the kind of guy you want to be with in an emergency. Calm demeanor, focused, skilled, plans ahead and even throws in humor at appropriate moments.

[calvinyeung]

Once a pilot aways a pilot. Even haven't flown for 20 years and only on a single engine, he still remembers how to aviate and monitoring the instruments and asking right questions.

[disneyland]

The narration of this amazing flight, my husband (a former Navy pilot) and me, glued to this story. We were so relieved Doug landed the plane safely. R.I.P. to the pilot who died during the flight.

[lisanadinebaker]

A few tidbits that Doug shared in a more recent interview.
This transpired over several hours. During that time, the NTSB was notified and activated an investigation team not expecting a successful landing. Their aircraft was turned around in flight and send home - first time that has ever happened.
Secondly, once he landed, he couldn't get the engines turned off. There was controller relaying information from the King Air pilot and his phone died right after he touched down. So no one could get to the aircraft. Finally, a pilot with Eastern (which was still flying then) who had King Air time, came on the radio and helped him out. All the commercial flights had been grounded for the entire time this was going on.
Doug and his family caught a flight home, gratis, on Delta that night. We grew up in the same part of NE Louisiana.

[moosewild]

Mad respect for Doug, his family and the controllers who helped him.

[lisas]

During the video I had to go to the comments, to see if they made it. I was so nervous and scared I could take it. I’m so happy they made it.

[Davidaston]

That air traffic control lady did an amazing job she deserves a raise! I'm pretty sure she's a big reason why he did so well and didn't freak out