A first in aviation history has been recorded. In the US state of Colorado, a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 aircraft that landed at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Denver touched down safely under the full control of an automatic landing system following an emergency situation.
It was reported that the two people on board the twin-engine aircraft survived the incident. Following the event, rescue teams shared footage of the landing moments with the public.
It was announced that the aircraft was brought down using an automatic landing system developed by Garmin. According to information provided by the company, the system is currently active on approximately 1,700 aircraft worldwide.
In a statement by Garmin, the significance of the incident was highlighted with the following words:
“This event marks the first time the automatic landing system has been fully engaged and used in a real emergency.”
Buffalo River, the operator of the aircraft, stated that the system was activated automatically. The company’s CEO, Chris Townsley, said in his statement regarding the incident that there was a sudden and rapid loss of cabin pressure.
Townsley said, “The pilots put on their oxygen masks. When the cabin pressure dropped below safe limits, the automatic landing system engaged as designed, and the pilots decided to keep the system active.”
According to the American news channel CNN, the aircraft’s automatic pilot system directed the aircraft to the most suitable airport and automatically carried out all necessary announcements to air traffic controllers. Experts emphasise that this technology will play a critical role in civil aviation safety in the future.
