6
The pilot was attempting to land at Nome but a low cloud ceiling and
limited visibility began to affect his ability to fly the aircraft. After his first
failed attempt to land, Sparks and Thomas got him back on track for a
second attempt. But after the second landing attempt also failed, the
pilot requested information for nearby airports that had less challenging
flight conditions.
Working together, Sparks and Thomas found an alternative airport –
Unalakleet (UNK) – about 100 miles to the east, and began vectoring the
aircraft there. While en route to UNK, the pilot became nervous about
the change in direction because of his lack of familiarity with the area. He
wanted to turn back and try OME again, though he was running low on
fuel. Both Sparks and Thomas knew that at that point, the aircraft would
not make it back to Nome with the fuel he had on board and the current
weather conditions. They encouraged him to continue on to UNK. They
wanted to prevent the pilot from getting stranded and running out of
options in dangerous weather as the conditions at OME continued to
worsen.
On Nov. 30, 2015, 30-year air traffic control
veteran Ronald Sparks and 26-year veteran Mike
Thomas were on position at Anchorage Center
(ZAN), when a Falcon 10 flew into their sector on
its way to Nome, Alaska.
RONALD
SPARKS
Anchorage Center
MIKE
THOMAS
Anchorage Center
