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Pilot dies, passenger affects Hollywood ending
They say that the vast majority of problems you'll encounter while flying are during takeoff. That's what happened to Doug White and his family. Pilot Joe Cabuk's head fell back, and he died. In a display worthy of a Hollywood script, White got on the radio and was walked through the landing of the King Air in which he was promoted from passenger to captain. It did help that White had a pilot's license, though he had never flown this particular type of plane.
And, he got his license in 1990 ... and hadn't been in the cockpit in 18 years.
Thirty minutes after leaving the ground, White returned "Niner Delta Whisky" – the craft's name in airplane parlance – back to Earth. Though all were stressed, none was injured.
For his success, the once again pilot credits "focused fear."
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brenda Apr 14th 2009 6:29AM
classic retelling, tom.
ryan Apr 14th 2009 12:51PM
actually, the ap story that you link to says that white had /recently/ logged 150 hours in a cessna 172, so he had been /a/ cockpit not that long ago...