Garmin autopilot lands small aircraft without human assistance

ATC: 'I don't know if you can hear me but cleared to land'

In what looks to be the first successful use of Garmin's Autoland product outside of testing, the FAA has confirmed a small plane made a safe emergency landing completely guided by automation at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Colorado.

Garmin's Emergency Autoland system is built to automatically take "complete control of the flight to land the airplane in an emergency where the pilot is unable to fly." It can also be activated at the press of a button.

After initial reports speculated that the pilot or pilots may have been incapacitated after the plane, a Beechcraft Super King Air, had pressurization problems, the plane operator assured the public that triggering autoland was a deliberate act by the pilots. No passengers were on board on the flight, which according to the tail number given to the ATC, landed at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on Saturday afternoon, after flying in from Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, also known as Sardy Field, a small mountain airport measuring just 573 acres.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement that the "Beechcraft Super King Air landed safely at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Colorado around 14:20 local time on Saturday, December 20, after the pilot lost communication with air traffic control." The FAA added: "An onboard emergency autoland system was activated. Two people were on board. The FAA is investigating."

While the aircraft did experience "a rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurization," the pilots put on their oxygen masks, the CEO of the charter company, Chris Townsley, said in a statement to CNN. Townsley reiterated that the pilots had "made the decision to leave the system engaged," and "automatically engaged exactly as designed when the cabin altitude exceeded the prescribed safe levels."

The Reg has asked the company for further comment.

The Beechcraft Super King Air is a twin-engine turboprop popular among charter companies and militaries, with a particular ability to easily navigate short runways. It has a T-tail design, which gives it some physical advantages as it keeps the tailplane out of engine exhaust and wing wake, making for cleaner airflow. The model that landed at the Broomfield, Colorado's Rocky Mountain airport was a B200, which seats seven to nine passengers plus two crew members. It is certified for single-pilot operation, but charter companies often use two pilots for extra safety.

Garmin's autonomous emergency landing system's automated warning actually states "pilot incapacitation," hence the confusion over the occupants' condition. In the air traffic control audio heard via the LiveATC site which hosts comms recorded by aviation and flight sim fans, a robotic voice can be heard stating: "N479BR, pilot incapacitation. 2 miles south of KBJC. Emergency autolanding, 19 minutes from runway 30R at KBJC." In the audio, the controller is heard responding to the automated voice, saying: "I don't know if you can hear me but cleared to land."

The CEO told outlets, "reports of pilot incapacitation are incorrect and result solely from the Garmin emergency system's automated communication and reporting functions."

A video released by the local fire rescue department, North Metro Fire Rescue District, shows the pair climbing out onto the tarmac.

The Register has reached out to Garmin, which has released statements saying: "This was the first use of Autoland from start-to-finish in an actual emergency."

Autoland was released in 2019, and according to the website, the system decides on where to land the plane based on what's "most optimal" for a successful landing, "considering runway length, distance, fuel range and other factors." ®