• Keep in mind that every aircraft has a different cockpit. This tutorial focuses on a 737-800.
• Start by radioing in your situation. You'll get real time guidance from a trained pilot.
• An episode of "MythBusters" looked into whether or not this could be done successfully, and deemed it "plausible."
Could you land a Boeing 737 in a pinch?
Commercial pilot Tim Morgan thinks you can pull it off, and has created the above video showing how to land the aircraft in the unlikely event that both the pilot and copilot are incapacitated.
"The good news is the plane will probably have a sophisticated autopilot that can take care of most of the flying for you," he wrote in an answer on Quora. "The bad news is you will still probably have to land it, and every aircraft cockpit is going to be different, so it's not like you'd know exactly where to look to find the things you need."
In the clip, Morgan talks the passenger through the various controls of a 737, including -- most importantly -- how to radio for help and follow the instructions to safely land the aircraft.
While there are no cases of a passenger with zero flying experience landing a large commercial aircraft, a 2007 episode of "MythBusters" looked into whether or not it could be done successfully. Using a simulator, the hosts crashed when trying to land the plane by just guessing, but were able to touch down successfully when a licensed pilot instructed them over the radio.
As a result, they called it "plausible."
If this situation ever happens and you manage to safely land the plane, Morgan has one last piece of advice: "Grab a beer from the galley and enjoy the ride down the emergency evacuation slide."
Or you could just ask for a screwdriver.
(h/t Digg)
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