A Beechcraft King Air B200 equipped with Garmin Autoland performed the first real-world emergency landing last week, according to the company.
The operator told FlightRadar24 that the twin turboprop aircraft, tail number N479BR, had no passengers on board and was being repositioned for the flight. According to CBS Colorado, at around 1:43 pm local time on December 20, the pilot reported a cabin pressurization problem to air traffic control (ATC) shortly after taking off from Aspitkin County Airport (KASE) in Colorado. Chris Townsend, CEO of Buffalo River Airways, told CBS that the automatic landing system activated itself after the plane’s cabin altitude exceeded safe levels.
The King Air and its two passengers landed safely at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) around 2:20 p.m. local time, the FAA said in a statement, adding that it was investigating the incident. Buffalo River Airways said the plane returned to service the next day.
“It is unclear why the aircraft’s emergency systems were activated,” the Colorado North Metro Fire Rescue District said in a post on X, accompanied by a video showing the King Air parked on the runway. “No patients were treated at the scene or transported to local hospitals.”
CBS News reported in September that Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport had more potentially significant incidents (PSEs), including runway incursions and air safety incidents, than any airport in the United States, citing a June FAA memo.
“Rocky Mountain Regional Airport may be small, but its location, aircraft mix and complex configuration make it a challenging airport,” the agency responded in a social media post.
Autoland’s first real-world test
Garmin launched the Autoland system in 2019. In September, the company said its Collier Trophy-winning technology was installed on more than 1,000 aircraft equipped with its integrated flight deck, including the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet and SR Series, Daher TBM 940 and Piper M600/SLS.
Autoland was first installed in January 2024 on the B200, one of the oldest series of continuously produced aircraft. In August, the FAA certified Garmin’s autoland and autothrottle systems for installation on King Air 350s equipped with the G1000 NXi.
Any passenger can activate the autolanding system with the push of a button, or it can take over automatically if it detects a prolonged period of pilot inactivity. The system takes full control of the aircraft, selecting a suitable airport for landing based on factors such as weather, runway length and remaining fuel, and sending automated messages to air traffic control. After performing an autoland, it stops the aircraft and shuts down the engines.
Townsend said the problem with King Air’s cabin pressurization occurred at an altitude of about 23,000 feet, and the pilot immediately put on an oxygen mask. Audio on the KBJC control tower’s ATC frequency captured the moment Autoland sent the following automated message:
“November four seventy-nine Bravo Romeo, pilot disabled, located two miles south of Kilo Bravo Juliet Charlie. Nineteen minutes later it made an automatic emergency landing on Runway 30, the right turn of Kilo Bravo Juliet Charlie.”
Although initial reports suggested this meant the pilot was incapacitated, Buffalo River Airways later clarified that the crew was conscious and allowed the system to take over after activation. It regularly updates its location and estimated arrival time close to KBJC.
“Due to the complexity of the specific situation, including instrument meteorological conditions, mountainous terrain, active icing conditions, unknown causes of pressure loss, and the binary (all or nothing) functionality of the Garmin emergency system; the pilot, using conservative judgment under emergency command authority, decided to allow the system to continue operating while monitoring its performance and attempting to communicate as much as possible within the limitations of the system,” the operator told FlightRadar24.
“While the system performed fully as expected, the pilot was prepared to resume manual control of the aircraft should any system malfunction occur.”
Garmin did not immediately respond flightRequesting more information about the incident.
