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Pilots on Ground Coach Passenger in Landing King Air

Flight path of GA airplane is flown by a passenger who landed it at Bakersfield, California.

[Screenshot/ AVweb image]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A passenger successfully landed a King Air C90 at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield after the pilot became incapacitated.
  • Despite the passenger not holding a pilot's certificate, the landing resulted in no injuries and the aircraft was undamaged, though it did overrun the runway.
  • The incident, which involved a flight from Las Vegas bound for Monterey, is currently under investigation by the FAA and NTSB.
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A passenger took control of a King Air C90 from its incapacitated pilot over Southern California on Friday and managed to put it safely on a runway at Meadows Field Airport (KBFL) in Bakersfield.

The plane ran off the end of the runway but was undamaged and no one was injured. First responders performed CPR at the scene and took the pilot to a hospital, according to Bakersfield’s KGET-TV.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.

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