Mayday: The Passenger Who Landed A Plane

BY ARROW PICTURES
RELEASED: 2001
RUNTIME: 60 min
EPISODES: 1
KEY PERSONNEL: Tom Brisley
BROADCASTER: Channel 4
DISTRIBUTOR: TCB Media
CATEGORY: Documentary

On an early evening in October 2013, 77-year-old great-grandfather John Wildey was being flown home by his pilot friend after a day out in north Lincolnshire. The pilot suddenly started to feel unwell.

Ten minutes later he had collapsed at the controls, 1500 feet up in the air. John had no flying experience, and it was starting to get dark. This documentary tells the story of how, against all the odds, he managed to land the plane in pitch darkness, with help from a small team who were scrambled to provide instructions from the ground and air.