Autoland Saves King Air, Everyone Reported Safe

Garmin has confirmed the first emergency use of its Autoland system occurred on Saturday in Colorado. “Garmin can confirm that an emergency Autoland activation occurred at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, Colorado,” the company said in a statement Sunday. “The Autoland took place on Sat., Dec. 20, resulting in a successful landing. We look forward to sharing additional details at the appropriate time.” Social media posts from flight tracking hobbyists reported a King Air 200 squawked 7700 about 2 p.m. local time today. The Autoland system was initiated and landed the aircraft at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Denver. A recording from LiveATC’s feed of the airport’s tower frequency includes a robotic female voice declaring a pilot incapacitation and the intention to land on Runway 30. The tape is below and first mention of the incident by ATC is at about 5:00. The Autoland system announces its intentions at about 11:10. (The time stamps are approximate.) There is no word on the condition of the pilot but social media posts suggest all aboard were safe. The aircraft, N479BR , was being operated by Buffalo River Outfitters from Aspen to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan. It’s not clear how many people were on board. The system appeared to work flawlessly, and the controller at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan seemed to take it in stride, accommodating as many requests as he could before shutting down the airport for the landing. We’ll have more detail on this as it becomes available. A reader was at the airport Saturday and shared this video that he had posted to Instagram.

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