Drama as passenger flies plane after pilot had medical emergency during flight
The pilot, who later died, has since been identified as Duke University professor Joseph Izatt
On Sunday, April 14, a passenger assisted in the safe landing of a private plane in North Carolina following the pilot’s unexpected and tragic medical emergency.
According to a spokesperson for the airport and an incident report obtained by PEOPLE Magazine, the passenger took control of the Cirrus SR-20 and landed it at Raleigh-Durham International Airport shortly after the medical emergency was reported onboard the aircraft.
The pilot was transported to a local hospital shortly after the private plane landed safely on RDU’s secondary runway, the spokesperson says.
According to local ABC affiliate WTVD and NBC affiliate WRAL-TV, the victim has been identified as Duke University professor Joseph Izatt.
The passenger’s identity has not been disclosed.
Izatt joined Duke in 2001 and served as a professor of engineering and the chair of Duke’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, according to a news release from the university.
“He was an exceptionally thoughtful leader who weighed every decision with a care that originated with his deep love for the BME community,” said Pratt School Dean Jerome Lynch in the release.
“The integrity and humility he brought as a school leader will be missed.”
Cellphone footage captured by Evan Caulfield showed paramedics putting the person in an ambulance, per WTVD.
“I knew I was witnessing something,” he said.
It is unclear what kind of medical emergency occurred on the plane, or when.
Another passenger landed plane
Meanwhile, media earlier reported that a passenger who stepped up to the mantle to land a plane after the pilot became incapacitated has earned praise on social media.
It was gathered that the passenger, who had no flying experience, landed a private plane in Florida on Tuesday, May 10.
The passenger was heard telling air traffic control that he did not know how to fly a plane during the incident.