Autopilot triumph: Airplane lands itself during real-life emergency

In a historic first for aviation automation, an airplane landed itself after detecting an in-flight emergency.

Garmin, the company behind Autoland System, shared that the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 made a safe landing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. Two pilots on board remained safe.

The safety-enhancing technology company revealed this marks the first use of Autoland from start to finish in an actual emergency situation, adding, “Our system is now deployed on about 1,700 airplanes.”

The aviation company, Buffalo River Aviation, responsible for operating the plane, said no passengers were on board when the Autoland system “automatically engaged exactly as designed when the cabin altitude exceeded the prescribed safe levels”.

The aviation company’s CEO Chris Townsley said the pilots put on their oxygen masks as the aircraft experienced a rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurisation and decided to keep the system engaged.

The North Metro Fire Department said: "Upon arrival, Engine 65 established incident command, and all units stood by as the aircraft landed safely." 

It added, "It's unclear at this time why the plane's emergency system was activated. No patients were treated on scene or transported to local hospitals."

According to CNN, when the system engaged it sent a “pilot incapacitation” message to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and warned other pilots in the area about emergency autolanding.

However, Buffalo Aviation CEO has denied the pilot incapacitation claims. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.