He Went Blind At 15,000 Feet And Still Landed With Help From Another Pilotl

On November 23, 2008, Jim O’Neill, aged 65, was piloting a Cessna light aircraft from Scotland to Essex, when an unexpected medical condition made it necessary for him to alter the course of his journey. Around 40 minutes into the flight, at a cruising altitude of 15,000 feet, O’Neill went blind all of a sudden.

The medical experts found out that a stroke had caused the formation of a blood clot, which had applied pressure on his optic nerve.

In the plane, O’Neill could no longer read the dials of his instruments or the surroundings below him. But even with a sudden blindness, he managed to stay alert about his predicament. Reaching for the radio set, O’Neill transmitted an emergency signal.

Jim O’Neill’s call of mayday told the air traffic control

operators about his intention of landing at the earliest. They reacted instantly to his call.

The British Royal Air Force sent Wing Commander Paul Gerrard to find the aircraft in question. Flying in a jet himself, Gerrard used radar to identify and approach O’Neill’s Cessna.

Once within visual range of each other, Gerrard initiated contact with O’Neill and started guiding him in the skies.

He controlled O’Neill in relation to altitude, direction, speed, and landing. Without the capacity to observe the runway or his cockpit instruments, O’Neill was guided through the instructions issued by Gerrard.

The airplane was instructed to make its way toward RAF Linton on Ouse, which is located in North Yorkshire.

During his descent, O’Neill continued to depend on Gerrard’s commands alone. While the landing was not exactly smooth, with some reports indicating that there were a few bumps on touchdown, the aircraft managed to remain in control.

Emergency services were already on standby at the time the aircraft touched down on the runway. O’Neill was rushed to the hospital where doctors reported that he started regaining partial sight in one of his eyes.

What made the situation attract a lot of attention among aviators was the level of coordination involved.

Incidents whereby pilots lose their sight completely while flying solo are very rare indeed.

The emergency landing served as a perfect demonstration of excellent teamwork between pilots and air traffic control.