Dead Pilot at the Controls: Private Pilot Save

This happened on Easter Sunday at an airfield and in airspace I frequently use. The lone pilot of a King Air dies at the controls while the plane is in an autopilot-controlled climb. A low-time single engine pilot in the right seat. His wife and two children are in the cabin. He sees that the pilot is dead and takes the controls from the right seat. This is real stuff and listening to the audio will increase your heart rate.

There are two versions of the audio: A shortened podcast and the real full length FAA tape. Pilots interested in the problems associated with taking over a twin engine turbine aircraft in flight should listen to the long version.

The shortened podcast from AVWeb is AT THIS LINK.

The longer (and more interesting) FAA tape is AT THIS LINK

Note that the FAA tape is an MP3 audio and you might need to load a player on your computer if you don't normally listen to MP3s.