


A small plane managed to avoid disaster after an autistic man grabbed the aircraft’s controls mid-air.
The pilot of a single-engine Cessna Skyhawk touched down Friday morning at Norwood Memorial Airport, just 12 miles outside of Boston, after a 60-year-old man grabbed the control yoke of the plane in the middle of the flight and attempted to move it around, police said.
The man, who had a “development disorder,” had been aboard the plane with his sister as a promotional ride from a flight school. The pilot managed to safely guide the plane to the tarmac following the unexpected scare, WCVB reported.
“The pilot, who is an experienced flight instructor, was able to maintain control of the airplane,” police said. “The pilot maintained contact with air traffic controllers and the plane landed safely at 11:45 a.m.”
Norwood Police and Fire departments arrived at the scene late Friday morning “out of an abundance of caution.” No injuries or damage to the plane was reported, and Norwood police said that the incident did not appear to be criminally motivated.
Friday’s emergency was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration and Massachusetts Department of Transportation, per standard procedure.