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T U E S D AY, M A R C H 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 N AT C A D A I LY D I S PAT C H 7 David Stempien Cleveland Center Eric Vanstrom Fort Wayne ATCT Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations in 2016. The 14th Annual Archie League Medal of Safety Awards is just around the corner! Remember, any member can nominate another member. All events since Jan. 1, 2017, are eligible for nomination. All winners will be honored during Communicating For Safety 2018 in Las Vegas. The nomination form is available at natca.org. Please contact Archie League Medal of Safety Awards Coordinator Sarah Zilonis at szilonis@natcadc.org with any questions. GREAT LAKES REGION: On Oct. 1, 2016, a Beechcraft 35-33 was on Cleveland Center (ZOB) frequency, climbing to a requested 9,000 feet. Five minutes later, an open microphone broadcast the sound of panic as a weather anomaly caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. ZOB Morgantown sector radar controller David Stempien immediately recognized the call was from the aircraft and attempted to assist the pilot, asking several times if he was OK. With each radar update, the altitude readout told a terrifying story: 8,100; 7,400; 8,500; 7,800; 6,900; and, finally, 5,000 feet. Eventually, the pilot responded and Stempien issued guidance to "follow your instruments," and "trust your instruments," in an effort to help the pilot regain control. The aircraft had gotten into a very bad updraft that caused the pilot to completely lose control of the aircraft. The pilot said, "I went way up, no matter what I did it was still climbing and then all the sudden it let go the other way." Stempien responded, "You're fine, you're fine. I'm showing you level at 5,000 right now." After Stempien was sure the pilot had regained control of the aircraft, he asked the pilot if the aircraft had sustained any damage. The fuel covers being open indicated that at some point, the aircraft had completely rolled. The pilot and Stempien discussed airport options and weather conditions before the pilot decided to land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa. (LBE). The aircraft landed safely at LBE and telephoned ZOB, recounting his experience with the operations manager. The pilot was very grateful to Stempien for his assistance, saying, "I appreciate the help, you were right there. Thank you so much!" N305Z departed LBE just over an hour later and continued to the original destination for a visit with family. GREAT LAKES REGION: In this dramatic flight assist, a Piper PA-32R-301T lost navigation during a severe weather incident. The pilot was unable to correct course on his own and was in a circling descent. Fort Wayne (FWA) controller Eric Vanstrom immediately identified that the aircraft was in distress and began issuing navigational aid. The pilot informed Vanstrom that they were having trouble with the VSI (vertical speed indicator). Due to the poor weather, Vanstrom recommended the pilot change course to Portland, Ind. Municipal Airport (PLD), which was reporting VFR conditions, and set the pilot up on an RNAV Runway 9 approach. The pilot continued to appear disoriented and had trouble maintaining steady flight on final approach. Vanstrom watched the aircraft perform multiple circles and altitude changes, which caused several passes below the minimum vectoring altitude (MVA). Vanstrom calmly issued corrective headings and altitudes and made sure that the pilot had weather information for PLD. Vanstrom continued to issue no gyro vectors until the aircraft dropped out of frequency range. Vanstrom had remained with the pilot for the duration of the event, which lasted nearly two hours. After continuing to issue important airport and weather information in hopes the pilot would hear it, another pilot eventually relayed that the aircraft was safely on the ground. Preview: Awards Luncheon An exciting luncheon will feature several awards given at Communicating For Safety every year, plus a few new ones. The new awards are the Beacon of NATCA and the Region X Commitment to Safety. Each fills a void for areas that NATCA has not had the opportunity to recognize in the past. Beacon of NATCA The Beacon of NATCA award will be given to a facility that rises above and handles an emergency or disaster situation with grace. No amount of planning, training, or preparation can prevent a disaster event. But when it occurs, whether it is natural or man-made, NATCA members answer the call. Aviation safety professionals are among the first to take direct action in response to a disaster, working with first-responders. They attend to the immediate danger and implement longer-term strategies to mitigate damage. The Beacon of NATCA award was created to recognize those facilities that go above and beyond to perform the essential and difficult task of disaster response. The recipients of this award are the epitome of grace under pressure, offering exceptional ATC services. The individuals in these facilities show incredible perseverance and inspire us. They are the beacon that guides us home and the heroes that rise above the chaos to keep the National Airspace System running as safely and efficiently as possible. Region X Commitment to Safety For the first time, NATCA is recognizing the imperative safety work done by our members in Region X with the Region X Commitment to Safety Award. This new award will be given every year to a Region X member who has shown profound dedication to ensuring the safety of the National Airspace System. This is a peer-nominated award for any Region X member in good standing. This inaugural award goes to someone whose dedication to rewriting the Part 23 rule on small aircraft certification has significantly increased the safety of the NAS. Team Excellence Award For the first time at CFS we will present the NATCA Team Excellence Award. The award was created last year to recognize NATCA teams, workgroups, or committees that exemplify the true collective NATCA spirit of working together to achieve greatness. It was presented to the 2016 Slate Book team at the 16th Biennial Convention in San Diego. Steve Hansen Safety Advocate NATCA will present the annual Steve Hansen Safety Advocate Award. Named for the Chairman of the NATCA National Safety Committee, this award is presented to a NATCA member who has made extraordinary achievements. They have worked tirelessly on NATCA's behalf to be a leader in furthering the cause of aviation safety. Past recipients include the award's namesake, Steve Hansen, Mike Blake, Andy Marosvari, Leanne Martin, Chad Sneve, and Jeff Woods. Tim Haines Memorial Award of Honor and Distinction, "Timmy" Normally reserved for conventions, Union members and employees who have done an exceptional job representing NATCA values are honored with the Tim Haines Memorial Award of Honor and Distinction, otherwise known as the "Timmy Award." This prestigious honor was originally named the "Natty Award." It was first presented by former President John Carr at the 2002 Biennial Convention in Cleveland. The "Natty Award" was changed to the "Timmy Award" during the 2008 Biennial Convention in Miami in honor of the late Tim Haines. His hard work and dogged determination led to the successful implementation of a reclassification project into NATCA's third contract, the Green Book. Today, NATCA will honor another dedicated NATCA member with the Timmy Award. Dale Wright Award for Distinguished, Professional and Exceptional Career Service to NATCA and the National Airspace System The Dale Wright Award was first given to the award's namesake in 2012. Since then, several NATCA members have been honored for dedicating their lives to making NATCA and the NAS better. Mike Hull, Ricky Thompson, Tom Morin, Tim Leonard, Don Chapman, Kelvin Hale, and Mike Matherne have all received the award. Other awards presented at today's luncheon include the NATCA Charitable Foundation presentation, the Raytheon Controller of the Year Award, and the Helping Hearts award for the facility with the most Automated External Defibrillator-trained members.

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