An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student pilot is getting credit for handling a real-life emergency.
Air traffic controllers at Daytona Beach International Airport guided the student to a safe landing after his small plane's windshield became coated with oil.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Download: WFTV mobile apps
According to audio recordings of the April 26 flight, the unnamed pilot sought help about two miles 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, officials said.
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 representative James Roddey declined to identify him.
Roddey said the student "did exactly what he had been trained to do."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
