7
N256V: We're on minimum fuel right now. We're um, yeah I think we want to try again in Nome.
Sparks: Ok I understand you want to do Nome? And it's uh, the weather is a lot worse now. It's a quarter mile snow,
freezing fog sir. Runway 28 RVR eighteen-hundred variable to four-thousand.
N256V: Roger, we will try the Papa Alpha Uniform November (Unalakleet) airport and uh we are climbing to seven-
thousand.
When the pilot reached UNK, he realized he did not have the appropriate plates for the airport and could not
land there. He also realized he had little fuel left.
Sparks: N256V, how much fuel in time do you have?
N256V: We have maybe fifteen minutes.
Sparks: N256V Roger. And how many souls on board?
N256V: Three.
Sparks and Thomas determined that although he did not have the plates for UNK, he did have the full database
for the airport. They provided the additional information the pilot needed to land, including updated weather
conditions, approach options, and locator information. After over an hour of constant communications with
Sparks and Thomas, the pilot landed successfully with just six minutes of fuel remaining.
RVP Clint Lancaster:
This flight assist is a testament to the professionalism of Sparky and Mike, and the value
a combined 56 years of Alaska air traffic control experience can bring to an emergency
situation. I cannot overstate the importance of their calm, consistent, and steady direction to
the pilot for nearly an hour-and-a-half. Sparky and Mike used their extensive knowledge of
the area and Alaskan weather trends to help the pilot of N256V make a potentially life-saving
decision, despite it being counter to what the pilot had initially intended to do.
