8/16/2025

80% of Passengers Think They Can Land a Plane. They’re Mostly Wrong.

Two people sitting in a Boeing 737 MAX flight simulator cockpit during a realistic flight experience

In internet polls and late-night conversations, a surprising number of people claim they could land a commercial airliner if the pilots suddenly became incapacitated.

It sounds heroic… until you look at what actually happens when real people are put to the test.

The Question Everyone Secretly Answers “Yes” To

There’s something about modern aviation that makes the average traveler feel oddly confident.

“I mean, how hard can it be? Autopilot does most of the work anyway.”

Social media polls regularly show over 60–80% of respondents saying “Yes”, they believe they could land a plane in an emergency — especially with guidance from air-traffic control.

But one U.S. university decided to put that confidence head-to-head with reality.

The Experiment Worth Talking About

University of North Dakota – School of Aerospace Sciences, 2023

A group of ordinary people — 6 volunteers aged 19 to 67, most with no flying experience — were placed inside a full-motion simulator of an Airbus A320.

The fictional scenario:
“Both pilots are unconscious. You, the passenger, have to get 150 lives safely on the ground.”

They were given radio contact with a virtual air-traffic controller and basic instructions on how to use the controls.

What Actually Happened?

How the participants performed:

Curious traveler — overshot the runway, everyone “survived”… barely.
YouTube watcher — forgot to communicate with ATC, stalled on final approach.
Casual gamer — froze under pressure and crashed on touchdown.
Engineering student — did slightly better, but still slid off the runway.
Doctor (amateur pilot) — managed a rough but survivable landing.
Former private pilot — landed like he’s been doing it for years.

So… Why Can’t We Just “Follow Instructions”?

Aircraft systems are complex. Autopilot is your friend — until it isn’t.
Radio communication is critical, but easy to mess up under panic.
Physical coordination matters — pitching, throttling and steering at the same time is harder than it looks.
Stress is the silent killer. Real-world emergencies trigger adrenaline, tunnel vision and decision-paralysis.

✈️ Conclusion: Unless you’ve had professional training, your chances of landing a jet purely from “common sense” and “Tower talking you through it” are extremely low.