A small plane landed itself at a Colorado airport Saturday in what Garmin says was the first-ever use of its Autoland system during an actual emergency.
The twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air touched down safely at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, AvBrief reported. The aircraft lost cabin pressure, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Buffalo River Aviation, which owns the plane.
Two pilots were aboard with no passengers when the aircraft “experienced a rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurization,” Buffalo River Aviation said in a statement.
Both pilots immediately donned oxygen masks. The Autoland system “automatically engaged exactly as designed when the cabin altitude exceeded the prescribed safe levels,” the company said. (RELATED: United Airlines Flight Reportedly Forced To Land After Windshield Gets Smashed By Mysterious Object; Pilot Injured)
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
The pilots chose to let the system fly the plane due to the “complexity” of the situation.
“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,” Buffalo River Aviation said.
An automated message alerted air traffic control that the pilot was no longer flying the aircraft. The system reported “pilot incapacitation” and provided updates on the plane’s distance from the runway, according to ATC recordings.
Buffalo River Aviation clarified that no pilot incapacitation occurred. The report resulted “solely from the Garmin emergency system’s automated communication and reporting functions.”
The plane landed “safely without incident,” airport officials said. No one required hospital transport.
Garmin confirmed Saturday’s event was the “first use of Autoland from start-to-finish in an actual emergency.” More than 1,700 aircraft currently use the system, ABC News reported.
The FAA said it is investigating. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is gathering information to determine if the incident warrants its own probe.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the FAA and Buffalo River Aviation for comment.