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the pilot's intentions and provided several alternate
destinations. The pilot ultimately decided on landing
at Riverside (RAL), approximately 27 nautical miles
northwest of his current position. He was issued the PDZ
VOR frequency and instructed to proceed direct when
able.
Tamez saw that the aircraft turned away from the PDZ
VOR and back towards higher terrain. Again, with his
experience as a pilot and a controller, Tamez determined
there was a need to issue no gyro vectors. Through no
gyro turns, Mr. Tamez was able to direct the aircraft
towards lower terrain and descended the aircraft further,
to 4,000 feet.
Upon reaching the lower altitude, the pilot made several
comments suggesting they were "thawing" and started
seeing the return of both their heading indicator as well
as ground speed indicator. While being vectored for the
RAL instrument landing system (ILS), the pilot reported
the airport in sight and was cleared for a visual approach.
After the aircraft safely landed at RAL, the pilot confirmed
they had a malfunctioning pitot tube heater and lost
several instruments due to icing.
Mike's professionalism and calm
demeanor in the face of adversity
were truly commendable and the
reasons a potential catastrophe
was avoided. I had the privilege
of working with Mike at SCT for
over eight years. His performance
is a reflection of the hard work
and dedication I witnessed on
a consistent basis. Mike, thank
you for representing the NATCA
brothers and sisters of SCT and
the Western Pacific Region in
such an incredible manner!
ยป Western Pacific Regional
Vice President Joel Ortiz:
