Pilot Uses iPad To Make Emergency Landing

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 10:39 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A pilot and his wife safely landed their single-engine Piper Comanche after experiencing a total electrical system failure mid-flight.
They used an iPad loaded with an aviation app as their only navigation source to fly approximately 80 miles in the dark.
The couple performed a successful gear-up (belly) landing at Rapid City Regional Airport without radio contact, suffering no injuries.

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In the age of the tablet, it’s just the sort of inflight emergency many pilots have contemplated dealing with. A pilot and his wife reportedly used their iPad to fly about 80 miles in their darkened cockpit and land safely, without landing gear, at Rapid City Regional Airport in South Dakota after a total electrical system failure.

The couple were flying their single-engine Piper Comanche to Wisconsin from Wyoming on Friday night when they suffered the electrical system failure about 80 miles from Rapid City.