Phenom 300EV Gains Triple Approval With Automated Emergency Landing

Garmin Emergency Autoland is designed to turn a pilot-incapacitation emergency into a controlled diversion and landing. Activated automatically when the system detects that the pilot cannot fly or manually by a passenger it can choose an airport and runway, communicate the aircraft’s intentions to air traffic control, fly the approach, land and bring the jet to a stop without pilot input.

That end-to-end capability is now certified as part of the Embraer Phenom 300EV. Embraer announced on August 25 that the light business jet has received approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil. The manufacturer says this makes the 300EV the first light jet certified with Garmin Emergency Autoland. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2028.

The important engineering distinction is that Autoland is not simply another flight-deck application. Completing an automated landing requires the avionics to work with aircraft systems that can manage speed, flight path, directional control and braking through touchdown and rollout.

Embraer integrated Autoland through its Garmin G3000-based Prodigy Touch flight deck. The 300EV also adds autothrottle, autobrake and rudder-by-wire, while an Embraer-developed Multi-Purpose Electronic Controller supports the new electronically controlled functions. Together, those elements give the automation authority across more phases of the landing sequence than an autopilot working only through conventional flight controls.

For operators, that integration has implications beyond the rare emergency for which Autoland is intended. Embraer says the controller contributes to lower workload and simplified maintenance, although the certification announcement does not provide maintenance intervals or dispatch-reliability data. Electronically coordinated functions can consolidate control logic, but operators will still have to account for the associated hardware, software configuration and training in their maintenance and operational programs.

A broader safety and automation package

Emergency Autoland sits within a larger avionics suite rather than operating as an isolated safeguard. The listed equipment includes autothrottle, Emergency Descent Mode and Embraer’s Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System. The aircraft also has runway and taxi situational-awareness functions and synthetic-vision guidance.

Those systems address different operating conditions. Emergency Descent Mode is intended for an urgent descent scenario, while runway-overrun awareness focuses on landing performance and available runway. Autoland addresses the separate case in which the pilot is unable to continue flying. Certification by three regulators establishes approval for the integrated design in major markets; it does not mean the system replaces normal crew procedures or eliminates operating limits.

The 300EV’s changes are not limited to automation. Embraer lists a maximum speed of Mach 0.80 and a range of up to 2,055 nautical miles with National Business Aviation Association instrument-flight reserves. The company specifies that range with four passengers. An increased maximum zero fuel weight provides approximately 430 pounds of additional payload capacity over the previous version.

That weight change matters because business-jet range figures and usable cabin load are linked. More allowable zero-fuel weight gives an operator additional room for passengers and baggage before fuel enters the calculation, although actual range and payload will continue to depend on mission conditions and loading.

Cabin revisions include factory-installed low-Earth-orbit satellite connectivity, updated temperature controls, air ionization and a vacuum lavatory. The aircraft retains a maximum cabin altitude of 6,600 feet. These are evolutionary changes rather than a new cabin architecture, consistent with the EV designation, which stands for Evolution.

Embraer introduced the Phenom 300EV in July as the newest Phenom 300-series variant. The company also says the series has been the best-selling light jet for 14 consecutive years, but the more consequential program result is now regulatory: one integrated aircraft configuration has cleared authorities in the United States, Europe and Brazil.

The remaining gap is between certification and service entry. With deliveries not expected until 2028, Embraer still has to move from an approved design to customer aircraft, operational documentation, training and support. The certification milestone establishes that the automated emergency-landing architecture is acceptable; the next test will be deploying that added electronic complexity across an operating fleet.

By David Whitaker — Associate editor for AMI’s aerospace and drone systems desk, translating flight systems, aircraft programs, spaceflight, and UAV developments into accessible technical stories.