Pilot dies after passenger lands his plane at Humberside Airport

Passenger John Wildey walks in the grounds at Sandtoft Airfield, North Lincolnshire

A PILOT who fell ill at the controls, leaving a passenger who had never flown a plane before to land at Humberside Airport last night, has died.

Emergency services gathered at the north Lincolnshire terminal as darkness fell yesterday after passenger John Wildey needed the help of two instructors on the ground to guide the aircraft down safely.

Mr Wildey described how he landed the plane with a “right bump”, saying it was like a “controlled crash, really”.

He added he could not reach the brakes at first and did not think he was going to make it.

This morning the flight instructor who helped land the plane said the passenger performed a “beautiful landing”.

Roy Murray said he was surprised just how calm the man he knew only as John was as he brought the aircraft down.

The man landed the plane in the dark without lights.

The pilot was later pronounced dead.

Stantoft airfield where the light aircraft flew from. Below: instructor Roy Murray. Pictures: Ross Parry Agency

Mr Murray said he was called in by air traffic controllers after a mayday call from the Cessna 172 light aircraft as it was heading back to its base at Sandtoft airfield, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, at 6.20pm.

He said the novice flyer did four circuits of the airport before landing at 7.30pm.

“He did a beautiful landing,” Mr Murray said.

“I wouldn’t be frightened to fly with him.”

Roy Murray, the flight instructor that guided the passanger down to land. Picture: Ross Parry Agency

Mr Murray, who has more than 30 years of flying experience, said: “I feel satisfied but sad. It could have been a lot worse.”

Asked how he felt after the landing, he said: “Ecstatic. Very relieved but also sad.”

Mr Murray, who is chief instructor at the Frank Morgan School of Flying, said he had never heard of an incident like this in the UK.

He said he was called at his home near Grimsby at 6.25pm and went to the tower at the airport, where the decision was taken to use the main runway which was “lit up like a Christmas tree” as it was getting dark.

“I took him round three times,” the instructor said, “which were reasonable but not good enough to land.

“Then, on the fourth, he made a nice landing.”

Mr Murray said the atmosphere in the control tower was tense and there were handshakes but no cheers when the plane touched down.

“It was tense at times, especially the last mile or so,” he said.

“We couldn’t see any lights on him.

“It was just a silhouette in the dark. We just had to judge he was the right height and the right speed, which he was. All due respect.”

Mr Murray went on: “He seemed quite calm.

“He said he had a dry mouth, as we