In an interview with Today, the courageous passenger recounted sensing something amiss even before entering the cockpit.
“As I moved forward to the front of the airplane, I realized that we were now in a dive,” Harrison recalled. “All I saw, when I came up to the front, was water out the right window, and I knew it was approaching rapidly. Very, very quickly.”
Reacting swiftly, Harrison seized the controls, relying on “common sense” and his prior understanding of flying to navigate the plane. Successfully guiding the aircraft to Palm Beach Airport without any issues, he described his mental state as “calm and collected.”
“I knew it was a life or death situation,” he emphasized. “Either you do what you have to do to control the situation or you’re gonna die.”
“That’s what I did,” he concluded. Assisted by Controller Robert Morgan, Harrison executed a safe landing. Overwhelmed with emotions upon landing, the soon-to-be father expressed gratitude and said the most significant prayer of his life as he threw the headset on the dashboard.
Harrison’s final prayer was for the pilot, who was discharged from the hospital on Monday after suffering an aortic dissection, although the pilot’s name remains undisclosed.
Dr. Nishant Patel, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, provided insight into the pilot’s odds of survival during an interview with Today.
“Fifty percent of patients won’t make it to the hospital, and then 50% of patients that do make it to the hospital will pass away within 24 hours without prompt diagnosis and treatment,” Patel explained.
Describing the pilot’s recovery as “miraculous,” Patel highlighted the fortunate outcome of the situation
