Florida pilot makes blind landing with control tower’s help

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Air traffic controllers in Florida guided a student pilot to a safe landing after his small plane’s windshield became coated with oil.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that audio recordings of the April 26 flight show the unnamed pilot sought assistance about 2 miles (3 kilometers) northwest of Daytona Beach International Airport.

The pilot reached out the window of his Cessna 172 to touch the substance blocking his vision. He said it appeared to be oil and he also reported smelling fumes in his cockpit.

Air traffic controllers radioed instructions guiding the pilot to a runway. He landed safely, even with zero visibility.

The pilot indicated he’s a 20-year-old student at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. School spokesman James Roddey declined to identify him.

Roddey said the student “did exactly what he had been trained to do.”

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Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com

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