A passenger with no aircraft experience successfully landed a small plane in Florida after the pilot suddenly fell ill.

Per the New York Post, after noticing something was wrong, the Cessna Caravan passenger - whose name has not been released yet - contacted air traffic control to alert them of the serious situation when the pilot started to suffer a medical emergency.

The passenger was reportedly heard telling air traffic controllers: "Pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane."

The dispatcher quickly responded and asked the passenger what his position was, and he answered: "I have no idea. I can see the coast of Florida in front of me. And I have no idea."

The controller then offered guidance and instructed the passenger: "Maintain wings level and just try to follow the coast, either north or southbound. We’re trying to locate you."

Thankfully, the team located the plane about 25 miles north of Palm Beach in Boca Raton and coached the passenger to descend the plane so they could land safe and steady.

The plane was then safely on the ground around 12:30PM on Tuesday, the FAA confirmed in a statement to TODAY.

After the suspenseful saga, the controller declared over the radio: "You just witnessed a couple passengers land that plane."

Another person was heard saying: "Did you say the passengers landed the plane?"

To which the controller replied: "That’s correct."

Aviation expert John Nance spoke on the situation and praised the passenger: "This is the first time I’ve ever heard of one of these [Cessna Caravans] being landed by somebody that has no aeronautical experience."

"The person on the airplane who had no aeronautical experience listened very carefully and obviously followed instructions with great calm," Nance continued. "That’s what made the difference," Nance added.

According to the plane's manufacturer, the 38-foot-long Cessna Caravan can reach speeds of 215 miles per hour, has a wingspan of 52 feet, and can hold up to 14 people.

The pilot, who remained unconscious, was later taken to the hospital. Their condition remains unknown.

The Federal Aviation Administration is carrying out an investigation.

Featured image credit: CNP Collection / Alamy.

A pilot thought his flight instructor was playing a prank on him when the man actually died of a cardiac arrest during take-off, a report has heard.

The 57-year-old man had agreed to accompany a qualified pilot on a flight from Blackpool Airport in Lancashire, UK, to another airfield on June 29, 2022, when the medical emergency occurred.

The instructor "suffered a sudden fatal heart attack" as the Piper PA-28-161 took off, but the pilot admitted he saw the man's head roll back but did not think anything of it.

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report states that the pilot had been good friends with the instructor and believed he was just pretending to be asleep at the time.

The report from February 9 states: "The pilot knew the instructor well and thought he was just pretending to take a nap whilst the pilot flew the circuit, so he did not think anything was wrong at this stage."

The pilot revealed that the instructor slumped over in his seat a short time later, before his head fell onto the pilot's shoulder, but he still believed his friend was joking around.

When the plane landed, the pilot finally realized something was seriously wrong with his friend, and crews tried to revive him but were unsuccessful.

The instructor had a history of high blood pressure and had been on medication to control it since 2002 according to the report.

His cause of death was ruled to be acute cardiac failure, with a blood clot being found in his heart, as well as signs of "diffuse atheromatous disease," which is when the arteries become clogged.

The pilot had not seen any abnormal signs from the instructor while the plane was about to take off, and others who had seen the man on the day he died had said he seemed normal and did not appear to be feeling unwell.

The cardiac arrest appeared to come on suddenly as the report added: "The three people who had flown with him for the trial lesson just prior to the incident flight said he seemed well and nothing abnormal had occurred."

The man was an experienced flier, having logged almost 9,000 flying hours, including 184 in the 90 days before he died.

He had been employed as a full-time senior flight instructor, and the report added that it was fortunate that he died while on board with another pilot who was capable of safely landing the light aircraft without assistance.

The AAIB said: "Had this occurred on another flight the outcome could have been different. No tests or assessment can give a 100 percent reliable detection of cardiac issues."

Featured image credit: Sarayuth Punnasuriyaporn / Alamy

A flight instructor has died in Virginia after the plane she was in crashed while it was being piloted by an 18-year-old student.

The tragic incident occurred on Thursday (October 6), after 23-year-old Swedish flight instructor and licensed commercial pilot Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman started her 3:00PM session with the teenager at Williamsburg International Airport.

As reported by WMAR, Virginia State Police say the teenage student pointed the nose of the plane up at too steep an angle following take-off. This caused the engine to stall while the plane was in the air.

The aircraft - a single-engine Cessna 172 - then started to dive to the ground before crashing into a nearby ditch. Fox 5 reports that the height of the crash was around 100 feet.

Ljungman - who resided in Williamsburg, Virginia - was pronounced dead at the scene.

Miraculously, the 18-year-old student survived. Police say another 18-year-old male student was also in the plane at the time of the crash. Both teenagers were flown to VCU Hospital in Richmond, where they have been treated for what Fox 5 reports as "life-threatening injuries".

Ljungman attended Virginia's Hampton University on a tennis scholarship, before eventually going on to become a flight instructor.

Viktoria had amassed more than 17,000 followers on Instagram, where she would often document her flying career - writing that her dream was to one day become an airline pilot.

Myana Maybry, a former friend of Ljungman, told WAVY-TV: "Viktoria didn't have a single bad bone in her body. Not only was she nice, but she was intelligent, beautiful, adventurous, punctual, a risk taker, and radiated positive energy.

"She was truly someone you only meet once. And I will love her until the day after forever."

Additionally, many of Ljungman's most recent Instagram posts have been flooded with tributes, with one friend writing: "I was just as confused as you on the first day that we met registering at Hampton, but after you told me you were an international student, I knew I had to pretend to know something.

"The truth is you made me feel way more relaxed starting out at our big new campus, even though I was the one closer to home. I wish I had known how meaningful it would be to tell you that a long time ago. I am so sorry for your loved ones, and I pray your next journey is one of peace and light."

Our thoughts go out to Ljungman's family and friends at this time.

Featured image credit: Instagram/viktoriathepilot

Air traffic control audio has captured the final moments before a young flight instructor was killed.

Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman died in a plane crash last Thursday (October 6), at Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News, Virginia.

The Swedish native was teaching a student who took off at too steep an angle, causing the small aircraft (a Cessna 172) to stall and plummet around 100ft per The New York Post.

While Ljungman was killed in the crash, her student Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. Another unidentified teenage passenger was also rushed to a hospital.

In chilling air traffic control audio captured by LiveATC.net, the final moments before the plane's crash can be heard unfurling inside the aircraft.

The clip begins with the pilot saying: "Cleared for takeoff, 97883. Caution wake turbulence."

Just a few moments later, a voice is heard saying: "We got a crash!"

The controller asks, "883, are you OK? Are you on this frequency?" However, there is no response from the aircraft and rescue personnel are dispatched to the scene.

The exact circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation. Meanwhile, Ljungman's family has paid tribute to the young pilot in a statement.

Hampton University student and flight instructor Ljungman earned her pilot license in March 2021, and her flight instructor license this April.

Per WTKR, her family said in a statement that they were "devastated by this enormous loss."

"She was not even 22 and a half years old, and we are devastated by this enormous loss," they said.

The statement continued: "To know Viktoria was to love her, and not just for her family. Everyone who interacted with Viktoria admired her kindness and intelligence, and respected her tremendous dedication and work ethic."

"We deeply appreciate that Hampton University made it possible for Viktoria to study in the U.S. on a full scholarship, to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot, and to compete for her school on the tennis courts and on the sailing team," they added.

The grieving family concluded by thanking people for their messages of support, saying: "We also wish to express our appreciation for all the manifestations of love and support from to all those in Virginia and the U.S. who knew and loved Viktoria, and ask that our privacy be respected at this very difficult time."

Featured Image Credit: CNP Collection / Alamy.

A 27-year-old mother tragically plunged to her death during a paragliding incident after setting out to conquer her fear of flying.

Daniela Barrios, determined to confront her fears, had shared a photo on her social media account just before the fatal flight, expressing her readiness to tackle her flying phobia.

"Join me on my crazy things," her caption said. "Let's overcome a fear."

Accompanied by her pilot, Barrios embarked on her flight from the El Castillo mountain in the Quidío municipality of Calarcá in Colombia on Saturday afternoon, per the Daily Mail.

Tragically, during the flight over the Pradera Alta trail, she slipped from her seat, as confirmed by the Calarcá Fire Department.

The pilot, whose identity remains undisclosed, was unable to prevent the fall and had to continue the flight until a safe landing could be executed.

Eyewitnesses immediately alerted emergency services upon witnessing Barrios's fall from the paraglider. A search-and-rescue operation commenced around 3:00PM and concluded late into the night, with firefighters discovering Barrios's lifeless body.

"She did not show vital signs when she was found and was pronounced dead on the scene," reported Calarcá Fire Department commander, Captain Javier Arconde, as quoted by El Tiempo newspaper.

"Apparently, the young woman slipped from the seat where the co-pilot is sitting. The pilot had to follow his route because he had no way to stop, he was able to land well but she fell."

Barrios, who was also the owner of a lingerie line, leaves behind a seven-year-old son.

In another tragic story from South America, a Brazilian priest was attempting to raise money for charity when his world record attempt of being airborne using helium balloons ended in disaster.

Father Adelir Antonio de Carli, affectionately known as the 'balloon priest' of Brazil, set off from the port city of Paranagua on April 20, 2008.

Equipped with a parachute for safety, de Carli aimed to break the 19-hour record for the longest duration spent airborne, reported the Guardian.

Despite his background as a skydiver and extensive survival training, de Carli's ambitious attempt ended in tragedy.

With a GPS tracker and radio for communication with air traffic control, de Carli commenced his world record bid. Yet, after eight hours into the flight, the 41-year-old priest vanished from radar, triggering an intensive search operation involving aircraft, helicopters, and rescue teams.

Two days following his departure, remnants of balloons were sighted in the sea off Brazil's Santa Catarina state, marking the last known location of de Carli. Despite exhaustive efforts, his body was not recovered until months later in July, off the southeastern coast of Brazil.

"We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip," commented Macae’s chief of police, Daniel Bandeira. "The DNA only confirmed our suspicions," as per Reuters.

Reports indicate that during his ill-fated journey, de Carli encountered difficulties with his GPS device and endured extreme cold. Despite reaching an altitude of 20,000 feet, he faced unexpected winds that diverted his course, ultimately leading to his tragic death.

Featured image credit: Bajak/Getty