An aircraft that experienced an emergency during flight managed to land on its own in an unprecedented achievement for aeronautical automation.
According to Garmin, the manufacturer of the Autoland system, two people emerged unharmed from the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 after the aircraft automatically landed on the runway at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, near Denver, Colorado (USA).
“This was the first time Autoland was used from start to finish in a real emergency,” Garmin said in a statement. About 1,700 aircraft are already equipped with the innovative system, according to the company.
As reported by CNN, the aircraft operator, the charter airline Buffalo River Aviation, stated that the Autoland system was activated automatically during a flight departing from Aspen, with no passengers on board.
“The aircraft experienced a rapid and uncommanded loss of pressurization,” and the pilots donned their oxygen masks, said the charter company’s CEO, Chris Townsley, in a statement.
The automatic landing system “was activated automatically, exactly as designed, when the cabin altitude exceeded prescribed safety levels,” and the pilots “decided to keep the system engaged,” according to Townsley.
Townsley also emphasized that reports of “pilot incapacitation” are incorrect and that the Autoland system was activated “consciously” by the crew “to preserve and use all available tools and minimize additional variables in an unpredictable and emergency situation, prioritizing life and a safe outcome above all other factors.”
Photo and video: North Metro Fire Rescue. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
