Fighting For Control

Editorial Staff

Saturday, June 03, 2023 at 09:07 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot recounts an incident where a peer froze and became unresponsive during critical ATC instructions at a busy international airport, creating a dangerous situation.
The narrator, a passenger pilot, had to physically intervene and overpower the unresponsive pilot to gain control of the aircraft from the right seat and safely land.
Key lessons learned include the importance of being prepared for pilot incapacitation, the challenges of taking control from an unfamiliar seat, and the necessity of trusting one's gut and acting decisively.

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I was a new private pilot with about 100 hours, training for my instrument rating. A schoolmate asked if I wanted to go as a passenger to a very busy international airport to pick up a friend. He was supposedly well-trained with more hours than me, but did not feel comfortable flying into a busy airport. Having trained at a busy airport, I was comfortable and used to flying in that airspace.

It was agreed that I was just a passenger unless needed for the short flight. Immediately after takeoff, I felt things were not right. He looked and flew with uncertainty, and his communication skills were sloppy.