Federal Aviation Administration officials said the pilot died after takeoff from Marco Island Executive Airport on Sunday. The plane was on autopilot and climbing passed 10,000 feet when the pilot died.

The passenger who took the controls has been licensed for single-engine planes for 20 years, but isn't certified to fly the King Air plane, a large luxury model.

To instruct him, an air traffic controller called a friend in Connecticut who is rated to fly the King Air aircraft

See more irresistible headlines