Passenger lands plane after pilot falls ill

October 09, 2013 03:50 pm | Updated 03:50 pm IST - LONDON

A passenger with no flying experience has safely landed a light aircraft at a British airport after the pilot became incapacitated.

The plane, carrying two people, issued a mayday call as it approached Humberside Airport in northeast England on Tuesday evening.

Flight instructors talked to the passenger from the ground and after several attempts the aircraft landed safely, although with a thump. Some witnesses described the plane bumping on the runway and sparks coming off the front of it.

Rob Murray, one of the flight instructors, said the passenger had never flown a plane before and had done a “remarkable job.”

Police said on Wednesday the passenger was unhurt but the pilot later died.

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