Plane Facts: Accidental Pilots, Walter “Taffy” Holden And Helen Collins
In some cases, the pilot at the controls had no intention of being there. Sometimes, it works out better than anyone could have imagined.
Photo by Paul Lucas from Leicestershire, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
It's rare when a passenger somehow ends up behind the controls of an aircraft they don't know how to fly, but it happens. Most of the time, the results are tragic, but the chances of survival go up if the accidental pilot can figure out how to use the radio to reach out for help. In those cases, either another pilot in the area or air traffic control will attempt to talk them down calmly. There are at least seven known cases where an individual was able to land an aircraft they weren't qualified to fly. One of the most incredible cases was in the 1960s, when an engineer conducting ground testing in an XM135 Lightning, one of the fastest aircraft in the world at the time, accidentally took off. Miraculously, he landed safely. So did an elderly woman in 2012 after her husband died behind the controls of a twin-engine Cessna 414. So, for those of you who have fantasized about heroically landing a plane, this one is for you.
Engineer Who Accidentally Took Off In An XM135 Lightning: Walter "Taffy" Holden
Flight Experience: Some
Top Speed Of The Aircraft He Knew How To Fly: 138 mph
Top Speed Of The XM135: Mach 2.0
Time The Aircraft Could Reach 39,000 Feet From Ground Level: 150 seconds
How One Pilot Describes Flying It: "Like being saddled to a skyrocket"
Date Of Incident: July 22, 1966
Location: RAF Lyneham airfield in England
Why He Was In The Plane: Tasked with testing different electrical configurations
Testing Process: Rev engine to high RPM, taxi 90-120 feet, cut off engine, apply brakes, rinse and repeat
Test Pilot Typically Present: Yes
Test Pilots Available That Day: None
How The Takeoff Happened: Inadvertently engaged afterburner
Method To Disengage: Pushing gate keys behind throttle, which he couldn't locate
Able To Disengage After Takeoff: Yes
Radios On Board: 0
Ejection Seat Operational: No
Failed Landing Attempts: 2
Method He Used For Successful Landing: Pretended to be landing the taildragger he trained in
Result: Successful, with tailstrike on runway
Distance He Stopped From End Of Runway: 300 feet
Age Holden Flew West: 90
Age Of Woman Forced To Land A Twin-Engine Cessna 414: 80
Name: Helen Collins
How Her Son Described Her: "As frail as frail could be"
Certified As A Pilot: No
Reason She Took The Controls: The pilot, her husband, suffered fatal heart attack
Time It Took Her To Figure Out The Controls: 90 minutes
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