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Passenger forced to land plane after pilot passes out: 'I have no idea'

A passenger has made an incredible emergency landing in the US state of Florida on Tuesday (local time) after the pilot suffered from a medical emergency, prohibiting him from safely flying the plane.

With no flying experience at all, the quick-thinking passenger took control of the small single-engine aircraft after the pilot suddenly became "incoherent".

In audio from a call made to air traffic controllers, the passenger, identified as Darren Harrison, can be heard saying, "I’ve got a serious situation here," according to LiveATC.net audio.

"My pilot has gone incoherent, and I have no idea how to fly the airplane," he said, while still remaining calm.

Air Traffic Controller and flight instructor Robert Morgan (left) Darren Harrison (right)
Air Traffic Controller and flight instructor Robert Morgan (left) was amazed by how well Darren Harrison (right) landed the plane. Source: CNN/Sunrise

Luckily, the air traffic controllers he contacted had two flight instructors on call who were able to talk him through a safe landing, according to reports.

The plane, which had a third person on board, was just off the Florida coast at the time, returning from the Bahamas.

"Oh my God. Great job."

One of the instructors, Robert Morgan, had never flown the particular model of plane - a Cessna 208. But he managed to safely guide the passenger to safety using a diagram of the cockpit.

"Try to hold the wings level and see if you can start descending for me. Push forward on the controls and descend at a very slow rate," he can be heard telling the fledgling pilot.

Cessna 208 plane landing at  Palm Beach International Airport in Florida
The passenger was guided to safety and landed successfully at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. Source: CNN

The passenger landed successfully at the Palm Beach International Airport around 12:30 pm (local time), much to the amazement of people on the ground.

"You just witnessed a couple of passengers land that plane," the tower operator can be heard telling an American Airlines pilot waiting to take off.

"Did you say the passengers landed the airplane?" the pilot asked. "Oh, my God. Great job," he said.

The landing rated 10-out-of-10, in Mr Morgan's view. A textbook landing, CNN reported.

"I felt like I was going to cry then, because I had so much adrenaline built up," he said. "I was really happy that it worked out and that nobody got hurt."

The condition of the sick pilot has not been released.

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