When non-pilot passenger Darren Harrison took the controls of a Cessna 208 Caravan from its disabled pilot last May and landed safely, the air traffic controller who helped talk him down was praised as a hero. Earlier his month at the National Business Aviation Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, Florida, the trade group honored that controller, Robert Morgan, with its Above and Beyond Award for Heroic Achievement.
“He (Morgan, the ATC controller) downloaded a photograph of the flight deck to help guide Harrison to a safe no-damage landing at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).”
That is brilliant and very quick thinking - well done Morgan!
“You can be my wing-man anytime!”
How about another story on non-pilot passenger Darren Harrison who learned quickly and landed the plane? There has been little to nothing written about him and his life since the incident. Maybe he will begin taking regular flying lessons!
George: We’ve been having some technical difficulty with our postings. The link to AVWeb’s previous story is actually there in the first sentence (copy and paste: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/passenger-lands-caravan/) but for some reason not highlighted as normal. If you were cyber-psychic and hovered over the words “took the controls” you would have seen it. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Congratulations, Robert Morgan on the award. Your quick thinking turned what could have been a tragedy into a safe landing. As we said in my Army Infantry days long ago, Attaboy!