Mid-Air Emergency Activates 'Garmin Autoland', US Plane Lands Itself

A small airplane landed safely on its own, using a special autopilot system called Garmin Autoland, after an in-flight emergency in Colorado, US.

This was the first time the system was used from start to finish in a real emergency. The plane touched down at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield on December 20.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air 200, was flying from Aspen to Denver on Saturday with no passengers and just the two pilots on board. Suddenly, the plane experienced a rapid loss of cabin pressurisation before losing contact with air traffic control.

The plane automatically activated the Autoland system, according to ABC News.

The Autoland system took control of the plane's autopilot, selected the suitable airport, communicated with air traffic control automatically and landed safely on the runway without any input from the pilots.

Emergency responders confirmed that the plane stopped safely, and neither of the pilots were hurt.

On Saturday, Dec. 20 at approximately 2 p.m., North Metro Fire responded to an Alert II airplane incident at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County with ARFF65, BC61, E61, E64, E65, E68 and M61.

From Westminster Fire Department, SAM11, WFDBC1, WFDM4 and WFDTRK5… pic.twitter.com/7hgQrwVen2

— North Metro Fire (@NMFirePIO) December 22, 2025

Buffalo River Aviation, which operates the plane, said, "Two pilots were traveling with no passengers when the aircraft “experienced a rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurization."

It further said, "While the system performed exactly as expected, the pilots were prepared to resume manual control of the aircraft should the system have malfunctioned in any way."

During the incident, an automated message played over ATC channels, which said that the pilot was no longer in control and that the aircraft would land at the nearest suitable airport.

The system communicated directly with the air traffic controller, which gave updates such as the aircraft number, reason for the emergency, and how far the plane was from landing.

Garmin, the manufacturer of Autoland, said Autoland was installed on about 1,700 aircraft, but this marked the first time the technology completed a start-to-finish emergency landing during an actual flight incident, according to NBC Palm Springs.

Garmin said the system decides where to land based on factors such as weather, terrain, approach, runway size, and aircraft suitability. However, the system cannot function if the plane has mechanical problems, is low on fuel, or if the flight controls are not operating freely.

Buffalo River Aviation's CEO Chris Townsley said, "In this case, the crew consciously elected to preserve and use all available tools and minimize additional variables in an unpredictable, emergent situation, prioritizing life and a safe outcome over all other factors, as they are trained to do."