A plane made an autonomous landing after the pressure in the cockpit rose to a dangerous level

According to a statement from the American Aviation Authority, during the flight contact with flight control was lost, and the automatic emergency landing system on the plane was activated. It was later reported that the plane experienced a rapid and unplanned loss of pressure in the cabin, a potentially life-threatening situation at high altitude. The charter company that operates the plane, Buffalo River Aviation, said the pilots immediately put on oxygen masks. As the cabin height increased beyond the pre-defined safety levels, the Autoland self-landing system was activated automatically, exactly as planned. In view of the complexity of the event, the team decided to keep the autonomous system active, while being ready to return to manual control if a malfunction arises.

During the event, automatic voice messages were played on the flight control connection, which reported the emergency malfunction and announced an imminent automatic landing at the nearest suitable airport. Tapes released later documented the continuous reports to the control tower, including the update of the distance from the runway and the intended landing track.

According to Garmin, this is the first use of the Autoland system in a real emergency scenario, from activation to stopping the aircraft on the runway. The system is currently installed in more than 1,700 active aircraft worldwide, and was originally intended for situations where the pilot is unable to land the aircraft, for example due to a sudden medical event. The Federal Aviation Authority opened an investigation into the incident, as is customary after unusual incidents. The event arouses great interest in the industry, and may affect the way in which advanced autonomous systems are integrated into civil aviation.

The system is based on existing principles of air traffic separation, and does not operate in a vacuum, but integrates into the existing control system. As for large passenger aircraft, at this stage the technology is intended for light and medium aircraft only, and its expansion to passenger aircraft will require deep adjustments, strict regulation and proof of reliability on a completely different scale. However, the very success of the current event is considered by those in the industry to be a significant step on the way to a future where advanced automation will play a wider role in commercial aviation as well, mainly as a backup system for extreme situations, and not as a replacement for pilots.