A twin-engine plane carrying four passengers on a flight to Jackson, Mississippi was brought safely down in a Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers after the plane’s pilot died shortly after takeoff.
While it’s not known what the cause of death was, it’s fortunate that the passenger who took the stick had already been licensed for flight for over 20 years. However, he was only licensed for a single-engine model, and had to get help from air traffic controller, who himself had to call a friend who was familiar with twin-engine models enough to help guide the passenger down to the runway.
I have to say, I’m pleased that the passengers made it down to the ground safely, and am sorry for the family of the deceased pilot. At the same time, however, I have to ask: How is this news?
Isn’t there some kind of definition of “news” that includes the concept that the story must include either something novel or surprising? If you break this story down, the summary works out to “One pilot dies in flight; second pilot lands plane instead.” What’s the news aspect of this? If a regular passenger, one with no flight experience whatsoever had landed the plane, that would be news. If the flight had crashed, that would have been news. This story is merely interesting. But without anything truly informative — something that adds to the reader’s store of knowledge — this just seems like filler.
I’m sorry, New York Times, but I expect better of you. Let me know when you publish a story that tells me what to do if I’m ever in a plane when the pilot dies.
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