Pilot remains hospitalized after passenger forced to land plane on Martha's Vineyard
WEST TISBURY – There were terrifying moments in the sky over Martha's Vineyard this weekend when a passenger was forced to step-in and land a plane.
Massachusetts State Police said the pilot, a 79-year-old man, experienced a medical emergency and became incapacitated. The passenger, a 68-year-old woman, was the only other person on board.
The plane is a single-engine Piper that seats up to six people. The plane made what state police called a "hard landing" around 3:15 p.m. Saturday just shy of the runway. The plane landed without landing gear and the left wing of the aircraft broke in half, according to police.
Both the passenger and pilot were taken to the hospital. The pilot was put on a med-flight to a Boston hospital where, as of Monday afternoon, state police said he remains in serious condition. The passenger was said to have non-life-threatening injuries and was released from a Martha's Vineyard hospital.
Jake Cleland lives on Martha's Vineyard year-round and was driving with his friends Saturday when they passed the gate at the airport and saw the plane.
"We saw the plane just kind of surrounded by a bunch of ambulances and fire trucks," Cleland said. "It was just a lot of commotion. They (the plane) were probably 100 yards away from the fence and probably 200 yards away from the end of the runway."
Patrick Smith is a commercial pilot who said these kinds of medical incidents midflight are rare. He was quick to point out how much different this landing could have been.
"They were incredibly lucky the weather was the way it was, there was no crash fire. Any number of things could have turned this into a deadly outcome," Smith said. "It is difficult for a non-pilot to land any airplane but if you are in the situation where you are going to try to do it, this would be the plane you would want to be in. Small, not terribly complex or sophisticated. I was impressed to see a non-pilot walked away from this incident."
The names of the pilot and passenger are not being released. State police said both were from Connecticut.
FAA records show the plane is owned by Access Yacht Sales. A company registered in Norwalk, Connecticut.
