Image by Martin Hartland
We’ve all had the thought cross our mind while flying, “What if the pilot(s) somehow became incapacitated and I had to land this thing? What would I do?” Or maybe more timely for today’s world, “What if a terrorist takes over the plane and I have to save the day by knocking him out with a Chuck Norris-style thump to the head?”
You’re a hero, boo-yah! But, if the pilot’s unconscious, you may have to get the plane on the ground. Relax, it’s not as hard as it looks and if you follow a few simple steps you’ll be on the ground safely and in one piece for your press conference and hero shots.
Maintain Aircraft Control (Straight and Level)
When you first arrive in the cockpit take the left seat if possible, this is generally where the Captain or Aircraft Commander sits and often has easier access to some of the instruments you’ll need to fly. However, the majority of dual seat aircraft can be flown from either side.
As soon as you sit down take a deep breath and look outside to see if the aircraft is in a dive (you see more ground in the windscreen than sky), climb, turn, etc. If it appears to be straight and level then don’t touch the flight controls, the autopilot is most likely on and there’s no need to interfere. If, however, the airplane is racing towards the ground or in a steep turn, then you need to use the stick or yoke (pilot speak for steering wheel) to bring it back to wings level flight. Just like in the video games, you pull back on the yoke to make it climb, push forward to make it descend, and turn it right or left to turn.
If you are in the clouds and can’t tell the attitude of the aircraft, then it will be necessary to use the attitude indicator, also referred to as the artificial horizon. This is an instrument that gives a representation of the aircraft in relation to the ground and sky. If you’re on a jet of some sort, chances are high that it will be displayed on the screen directly in front of you. The “w” shape in the middle represents the wings of the aircraft, the brown represents ground and the blue represents sky. So if you see half brown, half blue it means you are in level flight which is what you want. If you see anything else, then make corrections with the stick as necessary to line up the wings of the aircraft with the horizon line.
Make a Radio Call
After you have the aircraft under control, the next step is to contact Air Traffic Control (ATC) over the radio to explain the situation and ask for help. The majority of aircrafts have a radio mic switch on the yoke on the back where your index finger would rest when you grasped it normally. The problem is that the autopilot disconnect switch is often placed on the yoke as well and without proper knowledge of the autopilot system, an inadvertent disconnect of the autopilot could result in a major disaster. A safer alternative is using the hand-held radio normally mounted to the left of the pilot’s seat just below the side window. Use it just like you would use a CB radio, push to talk and release to listen.
Try making a call on the radio frequency currently selected and see if you get a response. Say “Mayday” and state who you are and what has happened. Don’t worry about radio etiquette, it’s an emergency so just use plain English and tell them you don’t know what you’re doing and need some help, but don’t sound too panicked. You’re a man after all and completely in control of the situation.
After talking, remember to release the mic button to listen. If no one responds, try changing the VHF radio frequency to 121.5 MHz (this is known as “Guard” and is monitored by everyone). The radio unit will normally be located on the center pedestal in between the pilot’s and co-pilot’s seats or directly in front of you on the center panel.
Do What They Tell You
Just like in the movies, what happens next is various agencies will be notified of your emergency and they will find someone who is an expert for your plane to walk you through getting it on the ground. They will know the cockpit layout and be able to tell you where a button or switch is located and what you need to do with it. They will also be working in conjunction with ATC to navigate you to an airport where you will be able to land. As long as you follow their instructions to the letter everything should turn out just fine. You may not have the prettiest landing, but you’ll survive.
Get It on the Ground
The reality is that many of today’s jets are fully-automated and have the capability to land themselves or at least get you lined up on the runway center line on a proper glide path so that you can take over at 50-100 feet off the ground. All you will have to manually do is:
- Flare (pull up slightly on the stick just prior to touchdown so the main gear hit first)
- Fly the nosewheel to the ground (push the stick forward until the front touches down)
- Pull the throttles all the way back
- Step on the brakes which are located on the tops of the rudder pedals down by your feet.
- If you find yourself veering off the runway then lightly step on the rudder pedals to steer yourself back to centerline.
You’ve landed! It’s incredible; you’re now the hero of the day, congratulations! Now before you go patting yourself on the back in your imaginary scenario, here are a few additional things to consider:
Notes, Warnings, Cautions
- Getting the landing gear down before landing is obviously a key part of the process, but has been forgotten by countless pilots. The gear handle is almost always located just to the right of the center console on the front instrument panel, basically just above the left knee of the co-pilot if he were sitting there.
- In order to slow the aircraft to land you must employ various drag devices such as slats (normally only in very large aircraft) and flaps. These allow the airplane to maintain lift at slower airspeeds and allow you to keep the attitude level during a descent. These are generally found right next to the throttles.
- Slats, flaps, and landing gear all have a max speed at which they can be deployed. It’s not the end of the world if you overspeed them in an emergency situation, but it should be avoided. If you aren’t in communication with someone that can help, look on the dash for a placard with the speeds, or a card with TOLD (takeoff and landing data).
- If you can find the airspeed indicator make sure that you keep it within the green arc while flying. Just like anything in life, green is good, yellow means caution and red means dead. If you get too slow you will lose lift and stall the aircraft (trust me, this is bad and if you’re not a pilot, you probably won’t make it).
- If you’re flying a commercial jet like a 737, a good rule of thumb is to keep it flying at about 200 knots if you don’t have flaps or gear extended, and 130 knots once you do and are making the approach to land. A smaller plane like a Cessna is stable on approach at speeds closer to 70 knots. Of course, if you’re talking to ATC ask them how fast you should go and they’ll hopefully be able to tell you.
Facebook
{ 23 trackbacks }
{ 76 comments… read them below or add one }
Printing this out and placing it in my carry-on.
What a super cool post Cameron! So much more informative than how to buckle my safety belt and where my flotation device is located.
Two quick questions I’m curious about:
-If when you initially get into the cockpit you find that the attitude is off kilter and then you correct it, do you then press the autopilot button to keep it that way?
-How do you know where to land? What should you look for?
While not my primary necessity at the moment, the post did give me a relief. Thank you
Sweet article
Fantastic article. Will print it out and keep it in my usual carry on bag. Might even laminate it so it doesn’t get messed up.
@Kate,
Answers to your questions:
-If when you initially get into the cockpit you find that the attitude is off kilter and then you correct it, do you then press the autopilot button to keep it that way?
Technically the answer is yes, although I say it cautiously. Even experienced pilots often make errors when setting up the autopilot. However, that said, in most jets if you can find the autopilot (and auto-throttles if it has them) switch(es) and you turn it on, it will automatically hold the current altitude. In an emergency situation this would be great. Just make sure that your airspeed isn’t rapidly bleeding off once you engage the autopilot – the throttles may have gone to idle if you were in a descent.
As far as location, in most large jets they are in front of you in the center of the front instrument panel between the two pilots – about eye-level.
-How do you know where to land? What should you look for?
Look for the longest runway available if you can find an airport. If not, look for the flattest stretch of land you can find. Crop fields can often work depending on how smooth they are. Either way, just think of what it will feel like to hit the ground going 150 mph and choose accordingly (think long, flat and hard).
Best case scenario you are talking to ATC and they guide you to a suitable landing area.
If the aircraft *is* in a steep turn, just yanking back the yoke will exacerbate the turn and could lead to a stall. You need to level the wings before you pull back on the yoke. You also forgot to talk about the rudder pedals, those are important for keeping the aircraft properly balanced during level flight and during turns.
To expand more on autopilot, the majority of commercial airliner autopilots have a “autoland” setting where the autopilot will do everything for you during landing, including the flare, throttle control and braking.
how to land a plane…if you have to
Great article. I hope I never need to use, but I am keeping a copy.
err. You did leave out the part where C. Heston comes in the front window.
Great article! I’ll keep a copy in my wallet, you never know. I knew about most of these procedures, except for the emergency radio frequency.
Luckily there will almost never be an occasion for an untrained passenger to have to take the controls of a commercial aircraft, and chances are there will be 1) other commercially and/or air transport trained pilots on board, or 2) at the very least, a private pilot or two. You folks here saying you’ll print out a copy of this and carry it with you on the plane? Keep living the dream I guess…
Now, if you have friends or relatives who are pilots of small aircraft and you find yourself in the passenger seat of one of those, there is an actual chance (albeit still extremely rare) that your pilot-friend could end up incapacitated. And, really, if it’s just the two of you in a small plane, what other choice will you have?
This is a good write up, but if you want more concise, illustrative, and more or less FAA-approved lesson for safely guiding you and your unfortunate friend to safety, I highly suggest people spend the time taking the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Pinch-Hitter ® interactive safety course: http://flash.aopa.org/asf/pinch_hitter/
You will have to register, but it’s worth it. Just not that, as the disclaimer reads, it is not a learn-to-fly course. But I have known a number of people who have been inspired to learn how to fly after taking the course. Give it a shot!
I should clarify that “more or less FAA-approved” does not mean that the FAA actually approves or sanctions untrained passengers flying aircraft in the event of an emergency, or that they’ve even reviewed the course. The ASF as a whole, however, is an FAA-approved safety program that allows pilots to satisfy biennial flight review requirements by taking and passing a variety of interactive courses. I just meant it to speak to the reliability of the ASF as a source of flight safety instruction.
AK said:
“Luckily there will almost never be an occasion for an untrained passenger to have to take the controls of a commercial aircraft, and chances are there will be 1) other commercially and/or air transport trained pilots on board, or 2) at the very least, a private pilot or two.”
I believe Todd Beamer would beg to differ.
To all those folks saying they should carry a copy of this with them next time they step onto a commercial flight, just take a moment to imagine how it may look to a security official!
I learned to fly years ago, bot fixed & rotor wing aircraft. I even built several Experimental and Ultralight craft.
Landing a plane in todays systems with todays technology is a breeze, even the giant airliners.
Great post!
Ride it like you stole it
Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel did a segment on this – Adam and Jamie were put in a commercial simulator and were ‘talked through’ a safer landing by an aircraft controller. Without the controller….both splatted short of the runway.
oops! Typo. I meant a safe (not safer) landing.
Tony said:
“I believe Todd Beamer would beg to differ.”
Todd Beamer didn’t take the controls of the aircraft and guide it to a safe landing. He may have never even stepped near the cockpit. A hero, yes, but irrelevant here.
-AK
My point is that whether he actually made it to the cockpit or not, if he had made it, he would have been well served having already thought about what to do. The point is that while it seems wildly unlikely that such a scenario would arise, there is always a chance that it could.
If you get randomly searched during pre-boarding and this article is found on your person, you’re probably not flying that day, prep for a cavity search and your name will be put on that dreaded list.
If the plane is in trouble and up you get with your saved passage on how to land a plane, move towards the cockpit, and I’m on that same flight? I’m probably going to kill you.
If the trained pilot can’t do it, then we’re dead cause neither can you.
Not this again.
“Landing a plane in todays systems with todays technology is a breeze, even the giant airliners.”
Yeah sure it is. The myths of cockpit automation.
Perhaps a nonpilot could pull off the actual touchdown itself, under some careful tuteledge, but the idea of somebody guiding a jet to a safe landing, totally on his or her own, is utterly nonsensical.
I have written articles debunking this assinine notion. Here are a couple…
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2007/12/21/askthepilot258/
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2007/08/24/askthepilot242/
PS
As a licensed private pilot, I believe a person with no aviation knowledge could successfully get an airliner on the ground given that 1) the jet is on autopilot when the passenger takes over and 2) the passenger gets into contact with ATC immediately. If the jet is not on autopilot when the passenger takes over, the jet most likely will be at an unusual attitude. In this case, I don’t believe an unknowledgeable person would be able to recover the airplane. The problem would be over stressing the aircraft. Given the above scenario where the plane is in a dive, pulling back on the yoke would probably rip the wings off. I’m making this assumption because the airplane would probably be way overspeed in a dive, and the passenger would probably pull back too hard. Airliner yokes are very sensitive, and only small movements are needed.
With that said, if you do find yourself in a situation like this do the following: Once you get in the seat immediately look for the attitude indicator (blue and orange representation on the computer screen in front of you). If the plane is not level, CAREFULLY apply pressure to the yoke in the appropriate direction to bring the plane to level. Next check how fast you are going and carefully adjust power to keep enough airspeed (200kts sounds good). After this you should be in a much more safe situation. Next hit the mike button and ask ATC what to do next. Remember to constantly scan your attitude indicator and speed and make adjustments where needed.
Congratulations, you are a pilot and can officially wear aviators now.
Lolz. As a “licensed private pilot” you haven’t even learned how to START a jet engine, let alone fly a jet plane.
If you ever find yourself in this ridiculously impossible situation, sit in the back and get drunk before you crash, because you WILL screw it up by messing with it.
The forces required on the flight controls are subtle at jet speeds, and most will over control, which will result in wild oscillations, at best.
Please don’t let my snarky one liner below detract from your article. It was cool.
Now only if someone can write one entitled, “How to Bring the US Economy in for a Soft Landing.”
A couple of points.
First, Guard is 243.0 MHz. I’m not sure if 121.5 is monitored any more. A commercial aircraft will have both UHF and VHF radios.
Second, look for the transponder…it’s a 4-digit code. Squawk 7700…that’s the distress code. This will get ATC’s immediate attention, and get you immediate help.
Third, once you gently and smoothly get the airplane straight & level, find out if there are any pilots among the passengers. More flight time is a Good Thing.
Ok, some thoughts on this post:
1. What makes you an expert on flying a plane, and how do I know if this is sufficient information to be able to land a plane?
2. Is it really a good idea to encourage people to kick a terrorists ass? I mean, shit, incompetent people who THINK they’re competent do stupid decisions that makes the situation worse than it already is. In the event of a terrorist hijacking you should presume that it is a well-planned execution, and that they have complete control of everything – are you sure you are able to compete against that? Unless the terrorists explicitly say «We are going to fucking murder every single one of you, in 5…4…» (which eliminates any kind of peaceful ending), I would suggest sitting down and shutting the fuck up.
3. The odds of being on an airline flight which results in at least one fatality (for any reason), among the best 25 airlines (not sure if they are the worlds best, or US’ best), is 1 to 6.06 million. The odds of being killed on a single airline flight (again, among the 25 best airlines) is 1 to 10.46 million (source: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm)
So – even if the pilot dies, there’s still be a co-pilot. And chances are that there’s even one passenger (or more) that is a pilot (of some sort), or at least more qualified than you to land the airplane. In other words: The odds of a passenger ever needing to land an airplane are -very- slim.
@Stian-
1. Cameron Schaefer, the author of this post, is an Air Force pilot who flies C-17’s for a living.
2. If a terrorist has hijacked your plane, what exactly are the chances of it ending peacefully?
3. This is supposed to be fun/interesting. Lighten up.
This is a great piece of info. My one question is that part about “Fly the nosewheel to the ground (push the stick forward until the front touches down)”.
I was instructed in a single engine plane to hold back on the controls and let the nose wheel come down on its own. It helps the plane slow down faster on the roll out. Maybe this is different in larger planes?
@ Jason,
I’m not 100% on all of the differences aerodynamically between big jet and small plane, but I know in the C-17 we fly the nosewheel to the ground (gently, obvsiouly we don’t shove the stick forward) partly for directional control when we extend the thrust reversers and also so it doesn’t slam down on it’s own when the wings eventually lose lift.
You’re right though, I was also taught in smaller planes that you could keep the nosewheel off the ground for some aero-braking. I guess maybe the big difference is large jets often have thrust reversers so aero-braking isn’t needed.
I will ask this question to some of the guys more experienced then me and see what they say and try to get back to you again tonight.
I’d totally buzz the tower. I’d be like, “BEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!” and everybody woud duck and the windows would break but I’d upull up at the last second. That would be cool.
And then I’d be all cool and stuff and I’d get the hottest chick on the place to come up where I’m sitting and I’d be like, “Hey, baby…” and she’d swoon and stuff because she’d be in the COCKpit. Yeah. Sweetness.
Flying the nosewheel down is what all large A/C pilots do. The smooth landing should come prior to that anyway, so visibility gets to be very important. Also, if you are screwing around keeping the nose up while losing airspeed, the plane will get more “sloppy” and be increasingly more difficult to keep your wings level (especially in a crosswind) and you are essentially wasting runway that you could be stopping on. Aerobraking becomes ineffective pretty fast when on the ground, especially without reverse thrust, meaning you still have to figure out a way to stop your 100k+ pound aircraft on “X” amount of pavement. Flying a large A/C is vastly different from the Piper Cubs and 152s most private aviators fly on takeoff and landing, but once you are in the air, an airplane is an airplane is an airplane.
As for the guard thing, I am pretty sure 121.3 is still monitored, as many aircraft don’t have UHF, especially the little guys.
In regards to resetting the transponder, no one who has never flown a jet will have the extra brain cells to figure out how to change it, as it is probably a function buried in the Flight Management System. If you are in that situation, the last thing you want to do is be looking inside for something that won’t stop you from dying. You eyes should be on airspeed and making sure houses aren’t getting bigger.
Oh, and watch out for over using the rudder in a big plane. It will kill you pretty fast since that bad boy is about 20 feet tall and it can easily roll you into the ground with a hydraulically assisted rudder due to it’s sensitivity and your lack of experience. And yes, rudders do cause roll, especially when they are big.
@ Brett:
1. Ok, would be worth mentioning in the post that it was written by someone who knows their stuff.
2. If you can’t believe in peaceful and (true) democratic resolutions, there will never be an end to wars.
3. I realize that it was supposed to be a fun and interesting post. Sorry, but the American anti-terror “cowboyism” and DIY-attitude just makes me tip over the scales at times.
Great article, however I think that everyone forgot something here. If the pilots are knocked out how is anyone going to get into the cockpit? It is locked from the inside!
Stian –
That very attitude is what kept the 9/11 victims in the first three planes calmly in their seats – lambs being led to slaughter. “Be quiet and calm and this will all be over soon.” Well, it was over soon. The only good thing that came from the terrrorist attacks is that it took hijacking off the list of available tactics. No one will ever believe that the plane will land and resolution be negotiated as it was in the 70’s and 80’s. We will all just assume we are going to die. For my part, I choose to die fighting than being lamb led to slaughter by some fanatic.
For the record, once an act has begun and reacted upon, it’s called counter-terrorism. Anti-terrorism is what you practice to prevent these things from ever happening.
So, you can sit back and count on the humanity of butchers and think joy-joy thoughts until you enter the groung or building at near the speed of sound. Good luck with that. As for me and my American cowboyism, I’m going to kill someone – then I know I have a chance at a peaceful resolution.
Since you like people to qualify themselves – I am a former US Army paratrooper and ranger. I am also a trained anti-terrorism advisor, firearms and tactics expert and certified law enforcement instructor. Woe be it on the bastard that tries to hijack my plane.
Yeah! You tell him Dayton!
You have just gained 50 man-points! (Stian loses 2. . .)
And you know this!! How?? I have yet to show this to my hubby….he will know if it passes the smell test.
Not being a pilot I do,however, know that landing and take off…are the two most thrilling…and yet very dangerous portions of a flight. But…hey if you have no pilot…doing something..is better than nothing! 
I believe that the answer to Rodney Hampton’s question, “How to Bring the US Economy in for a Soft Landing.â€
Was already answered in the post above by Mephisto, “If you ever find yourself in this ridiculously impossible situation, sit in the back and get drunk before you crash, because you WILL screw it up by messing with it.”
Cheers!
I’m a flaming liberal peace nut, but I’m not going to “sit down and shut up” if I’m on a plane that’s hijacked. I think we learned or lesson about that. Most of us. I’m not trained for anything, but I’m going to cause havoc before I get shot, and if enough people do there will probably be a smaller body count in the end.
I love the suggestions that people are stupid for educating themselves and preparing for emergencies because they are unlikely to happen. That’s someone I want to be around. Not really, that’s what they call sarcasm.
bb
An average joe with little or no experience behind the yoke? BAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Microsoft Flight Sim is your experience! BAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
As mentioned this article is lighthearted, so don’t go on your next flight thinking you stayed at the Holiday Inn and now your are capable.
I fly professionaly. I don’t believe in the history of commercial aviation there has ever been an instance where both pilots were incapacitated and a non pilot passenger had to take the reins and “bring her on in.” Though of course in Hollywood it has happened.
While this article certainly can’t hurt, with so many variables to consider in such a situation, I believe there would a strong chance it would end in disaster. Even in the Mythbusters scenario, where they flew a SIM, they both crashed the plane the first time and then as they became familiar with the cockpit layout and the basics of how things worked, they were able to be “talked” down. Even then it was in a simulator without the real stress of a true emergency and in benign weather conditions. IF you had a plane with the autoland feature and if the situation was already stable when you stepped into the flightdeck you might stand a chance, if you were able to contact ATC (Controller) and figure out how to configure the plane to actually do the autoland. It is much more than a one step procedure.
When switching from one large plane to another that they have not flown before, even experienced pilots need time and training to adapt and safely fly a plane. Each one has differences in the cockpit layout, flight charachteristics, control pressures, sounds, systems, the picture out the window while landng or on the takeoff roll, etc.
Untrained person landing a transport category aircraft? Possible perhaps, but not without a lot of things working in his/her favor. Including some divine help.
I fly for a major international airline. While some of this info is good, it is not enough to get you down in this situation. The best one could hope for is that there is another pilot on board either commuting or deadheading.
As for the frequency debate, civilian aircraft do not use UHF. Yes, 121.5 is always monitored and that is why ELT’s transmit on that frequency. It is not only monitored by ATC but by most other airliners in their #2 radio. We have HF radios for those parts of the world that do not have reliable VHF capability and/or over the water out of VHF range. In some parts of the world now we use something called CPDLC and ADS which uses GPS and SATCOM to transmit position reports etc. to ATC.
Keeping the nose off the ground is very useful in light aircraft but not in an airliner. We want to get the nose on the ground quickly to aid in braking and steering.
Finally, the rudder debate. In small aircraft you will want to possibly use the rudder. An airliner won’t require it because is has something called a yaw damper. If the aircraft has autoland capability the autopilot will make crosswind corrections as well up to the limititations by using three independent autopilot computers. The only time you need to tough the rudder in most airliners is if you lose an engine.
I’ve spent years doing this and have flown several aircraft types up to my current one, the 747-400. I still constantly train to do it right and get checked every six months in the sim. If you had an autoland capable airplane and had someone tell you how to program the FMS (computer) then you might have a shot. For all the automation it is still “garbage in, garbage out”, meaning that YOU will have to program the computer to do what you want it to do. If you program the wrong data you’ll still crash. It doesn’t just “fly itself” as has been suggested.
Stian sounds like a douche.
if ANYONE not trained attempts to do this, prepare to crash and burn. Without proper training, you have no idea how to bring an airliner in for a landing – not even the most remotest of chances.
Don’t kid yourselves.
Well….
If only this article would have been around back in 1997 I could have saved $50,000 on pilot training…..
Seems pretty simple…good luck to everyone who just got their “wings”
Chris
Canadian Airline Transport Pilot
very, very interesting post … thanks
@shatt you’re mostly right about leveling the wings first. If the aircraft is in a dive, definitely level the wings before pulling up. If the aircraft is in a climb and losing airspeed, getting the nose down takes priority. However, if someone reading this can’t remember all the steps when the time comes, the thing to remember would be: level the wings first.
I would ignore the rudder pedals. So a few passengers spill their drinks in back. Big deal. They probably chugged them down anyway when they found out that the pilot was incapacitated.
….you forgot the part about making it through the 8inch thick kevlar door into the flightdeck.
YEAH OK, THIS IS JUST RETARDED NOT A CHANCE WITH SOME YAHOO PASSNEGER FLYING THE AIRCRAFT TO A SAFE LANDING, GOOD LUCK TO THE REST ON BOARD IF THIS SCENARIO DEVELOPS AND SOME IDIOT THAT READ THIS ARTICLE IS ON BOARD