AI system
- System
-
Garmin Autoland (Emergency Autoland)
- Model
-
Not assessed
- Release
-
Not assessed
- Application developer
-
Garmin
- Role
-
Not assessed
- Configuration
-
Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
-
Not assessed
- Autonomy
-
Not assessed
- Workflow
-
An aircraft fitted with Garmin Autoland. Garmin says more than 1,700 are equipped. A rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurization that pushed cabin altitude past the system's automatic trigger. A crew that decided to let the automatic sequence run to touchdown rather than take over.
- Human oversight
-
Not assessed
- Relation to AI
-
Autoland engaged itself when cabin altitude exceeded the limit. It declared the emergency to controllers with automated “pilot incapacitation” broadcasts. It flew the descent, approach and landing. The pilots elected to leave it engaged rather than take over. So the landing is the system's work. But the counterfactual, that they could not have landed, is not established. Garmin, the FAA and the operator all call it an automated system. None calls it AI. It is here because the OECD Monitor lists it as an AI system. The Register describes it choosing landing sites from runway length, distance and fuel range.
- AI contribution
-
Autoland engaged itself when cabin altitude exceeded the limit. It declared the emergency to controllers with automated “pilot incapacitation” broadcasts. It flew the descent, approach and landing. The pilots elected to leave it engaged rather than take over. So the landing is the system's work. But the counterfactual, that they could not have landed, is not established. Garmin, the FAA and the operator all call it an automated system. None calls it AI. It is here because the OECD Monitor lists it as an AI system. The Register describes it choosing landing sites from runway length, distance and fuel range.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
-
Not assessed
- Benefit
-
two pilots unhurt
- Category
-
Increased Product Safety
- Status
-
Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
-
People. Organizations.
- Beneficiaries
-
Not assessed
- Reach
-
Not assessed
- Distribution and access
-
Not assessed
- Duration
-
Not assessed
- Expected?
-
Yes
- Costs and harms
-
Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
-
Not assessed
- Study design
-
Not assessed
- Measurement
-
Not assessed
- Setting and sample
-
Not assessed
- Measures
-
two pilots unhurt
- Comparison
-
Not assessed
- Results
-
two pilots unhurt
- Additional value from AI
-
Not assessed
- Limitations
-
Not assessed
- Denominators
-
Not assessed
- Materials for replication
-
Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
-
Not assessed
- Amount
-
Not assessed
- Currency and prices
-
Not assessed
- Period and unit
-
Not assessed
- Realization
-
Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
-
Not assessed
- Gross or net
-
Not assessed
- Included costs
-
Not assessed
- Comparison
-
Not assessed
- Method
-
Not assessed
- Return and payback
-
Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
-
Developer: Garmin. Operator: Buffalo River Aviation.
- Jurisdictions
-
Benefit: Broomfield,
United States. Developer: 
Switzerland. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
-
Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
-
Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
-
Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
-
The aircraft remains airworthy. Autoland is a fail-safe for a working aircraft whose pilot cannot fly it, in the words of the journalist CBS quoted. A suitable airport is in range. The Register describes selection by runway length, distance and fuel range. Controllers and ground services act on the automated broadcasts, as Broomfield's two fire departments did.
- Replication attempts
-
Not assessed
- Later findings
-
The FAA said it was investigating and the NTSB that it was collecting information to decide whether the event met its criteria; no FAA or NTSB report or other development after December 2025 was found. The aircraft flew on to Oklahoma City the next morning.
- Availability
-
Not assessed
- Institutional decision
-
Not assessed
- Grounds
-
Not assessed
- Action and result
-
Not assessed
- Success criterion
-
Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
-
AIBD-0153-source-0001–0006
- Citations
-
Numbered references below.
- Language
-
Not assessed
- Source relationships
-
Independent
- Original evidence
-
Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
-
Not assessed
- Evidence links
-
Not assessed
- Evidence strength
-
Not assessed
- Missing evidence
-
Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
-
People. Organizations.
- Depth
-
People: 2. Organizations: 1.
- Reasons
-
People: Two pilots who had lost cabin pressure at 23,000 ft were on the ground in Broomfield within about 35 minutes of departure, untreated and uninjured. They were conscious and could have flown the descent themselves. So the benefit is a safe automatic recovery, not a documented life saved. Organizations: Buffalo River Aviation's aircraft “landed safely without incident”, in the airport spokeswoman's words. No damage is reported, and the FAA investigation was still open.
- Observed or intended
-
Not assessed
- Rubric
-
Not assessed
- Assessor and date
-
Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
-
Not assessed
- Fill
-
Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
-
Not assessed
- Related entries
-
Not assessed
- Field
-
Aviation safety / automatic emergency landing. Charter turboprop operations.
- Purpose
-
Autoland exists to take complete control of an aircraft and land it when the pilot cannot fly. It engages on its own when cabin altitude exceeds a set level. That is what happened here. The two pilots turned out not to be incapacitated, though, and chose to let it finish.
- Dates
-
Date basis unassessed: 2025 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
-
Not assessed
- Version
-
SHA-256: e067d3612528…
References
- Other identifiers
-
oecd_aim: 2025-12-22-41ce.
- Category mappings
-
Not assessed
- Brief
-
Not assessed
- Revisions
-
4 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
-
News report Independent author
Sarah Horbacewicz / CBS News Colorado (2025). Plane makes safe emergency landing in Colorado without a pilot's help, first 'Autoland' use. CBS News, 22 December 2025.
An onboard emergency autoland system was activated. Two people were on board. The FAA is investigating.
-
News report Independent author
Sam Sweeney and Ayesha Ali / ABC News (2025). Small plane lands safely with Autoland system after pilot is incapacitated. ABC News, 22 December 2025.
first use of Autoland from start-to-finish in an actual emergency
-
News report Independent author
Jude Karabus / The Register (2025). Garmin autopilot lands small plane without pilot's help. The Register, 24 December 2025.
automatically engaged exactly as designed when the cabin altitude exceeded the prescribed safe levels
-
News report Independent author
Katie Parkins and Óscar Contreras / Denver7 (2025). In a first, plane makes emergency landing at RMMA using automated technology due to 'pilot incapacitation'. Denver7 (KMGH), 22 December 2025.
no one on the plane was treated on scene or taken to a hospital
-
News report Independent author
Matt Ryan / AVweb (2025). Garmin Autoland Safely Lands King Air After Pilot Incapacitation. AVweb, 22 December 2025.
transmitting automated broadcasts indicating a pilot incapacitation and intent to conduct an emergency autoland
-
News report Independent author
Rachel Dobkin / The Independent (2025). Airplane automatically lands itself after an inflight emergency. The Independent, syndicated on Yahoo News, 24 December 2025.
No patients were treated on scene or transported to local hospitals.