178 seconds from death: A Florida air controller’s desperate battle to save a disoriented pilot

GAINESVILLE – Disoriented and alone, a young pilot flying over northern Florida found himself inside thick, dark clouds in torrential rain. Panicked, he called over his radio: “Lost in weather, please! Can you see me? Can you see me?” Over 100 miles away, a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller in the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center answered the pilot’s plea for help: “This is Jacksonville Center on Guard. Do you know your approximate position?” What followed that afternoon of Nov. 24 was a desperate rescue effort that spanned...