Emergency Autoland is not new, but the technology is now moving into a larger and faster class of business jet.

By E.K KING

If a pilot suddenly loses consciousness while flying a business jet, the passengers may not even know the basic controls – let alone how to choose an airport, fly an approach and land the aircraft.

Embraer’s new Phenom 300EV offers another option: let the aircraft handle the emergency.

Embraer announced on August 25 that the Phenom 300EV has received certification from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The twin-engine business jet is equipped with Garmin Emergency Autoland. If the pilot becomes unable to continue flying, the system can take control, select a suitable airport, fly there and complete the approach, landing and braking.

The technology itself is not new – and the Phenom 300EV is not the first jet to have it.

Garmin Emergency Autoland began receiving regulatory approval in 2020 and has since appeared on aircraft including the Piper M600, Daher TBM series and Cirrus Vision Jet.

The Vision Jet is already a jet equipped with Emergency Autoland.

The difference with the Phenom 300EV is its aircraft category.

Embraer says the Phenom 300EV is the first light jet certified with Garmin Emergency Autoland. The smaller Cirrus Vision Jet is generally classified as a very light jet.

Emergency landing automation is now moving into a larger and faster class of business aircraft.

More Than Just an Automatic Landing

Automatic landings are not new to aviation.

Large airliners have been able to perform automatic landings for decades when the aircraft, airport and weather conditions meet the necessary requirements.

Garmin Emergency Autoland is designed for a different problem:

What happens when the pilot can no longer fly the aircraft?

A passenger can activate Emergency Autoland during an emergency. Under certain conditions, the system can also intervene if it detects that the pilot is no longer responding.

Once activated, it does not simply point the aircraft toward the nearest runway.

The system considers factors such as remaining fuel, weather, runway conditions, airport location and aircraft performance before selecting a suitable place to land.

It then plans the route and flies the aircraft toward the selected airport.

During the flight, the system handles navigation and flight control while avoiding known hazardous terrain and unfavorable weather. It can also communicate the aircraft’s situation to air traffic control.

As the aircraft reaches the airport, the system manages the descent and approach, lowers the landing gear and flaps, lands the aircraft and applies the brakes until it comes to a stop.

The passengers do not have to suddenly learn how to fly a jet in the middle of an emergency.

Moving From Smaller Aircraft to a Larger Business Jet

The Phenom 300EV is a twin-engine business jet capable of reaching Mach 0.80, or about 80% of the speed of sound.

Embraer lists its range at 2,055 nautical miles, or about 3,806 kilometers, carrying four passengers with required reserve fuel.

Earlier aircraft equipped with Emergency Autoland included single-engine turboprops and the smaller Cirrus Vision Jet. Its arrival on the Phenom 300EV expands the technology into a higher-performance twin-engine business jet.

Doing that requires more than adding new software to the cockpit.

If a computer is expected to take over after a pilot becomes incapacitated, it needs the ability to actually control the aircraft.

The Phenom 300EV therefore introduces Embraer’s Multi-Purpose Electronic Controller, or MEC, supporting functions including autobrake and rudder-by-wire.

Rudder-by-wire means that commands controlling the rudder on the aircraft’s tail can be transmitted and carried out electronically rather than relying only on a traditional mechanical connection.

The aircraft also has autothrottle, allowing the system to manage engine power and speed.

Together, these systems give Emergency Autoland the control it needs to do more than decide where the aircraft should go. It can control the flight, descend, configure the aircraft for landing, fly the approach, touch down and brake.

The Phenom 300EV Has Other Changes

Emergency Autoland is only part of the update.

The Phenom 300EV’s range has increased to 2,055 nautical miles. Embraer also says the aircraft can carry about 430 pounds, or 195 kilograms, more payload than the previous version.

Other changes include lithium-ion batteries, LED taxi and landing lights, and cockpit functions designed to improve pilots’ awareness of runways and taxiways.

For the cabin, the aircraft is expected to offer high-speed connectivity through Gogo Galileo’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network. Starlink is also planned as an aftermarket option through a Supplemental Type Certificate.

Embraer expects deliveries of the Phenom 300EV to begin in 2028.

When the Pilot Can No Longer Fly

Emergency Autoland does not mean business jets are becoming pilotless aircraft.

Pilots are still required for normal operations, and the system has limits. Key aircraft systems must remain operational, and a suitable airport and approach must be available. Certain mechanical or system failures could still prevent an automated landing.

But the role of flight automation is changing.

Traditional autopilots have long helped pilots maintain altitude, heading and a planned route. Emergency Autoland addresses a more difficult question: if the person flying the aircraft suddenly becomes unable to continue, can the aircraft safely bring itself back to the ground?

That capability has already appeared on smaller aircraft.

Now it is moving into larger, faster business jets.

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Originally published on Medium on August 25, 2026.