NOTABLE QUOTABLE
From ATC recordings at the end of a flight assist at Daytona Beach (DAB) on Thursday,
April 26, as reported in a front - page story on May 5 by the Daytona Beach News -
Journal:
"On the runway, thank you so much gentlemen, you're a life saver," the pilot said.
The controller t old Riddle 632 he could shut the plane down on the runway.
"Riddle 632, excellent man and contact ground when y ou are able," Martin said.
A random pilot listening to the drama on the radio also chimed in: "We're buying you a
beer tonight."
"I could use it," replied the young man. "Even though I'm 20 years old."
NATCA DAB members Tim Martin, Ruben Lopez, Karen Hagstrom, and Chris Watton
teamed up for the great save of the Embry Riddle student, who reported oil on his
windshield that was causing zero visibility. The NATCA members worked to guide him to
a safe landi ng after approximately eight minutes of work. Read the story from the
Daytona Beach News - Journal, wh ich includes a link to hear the audio.
The story was also picked up by the Associated Press and appeared in The Ledger
(Lakeland, Fla.), US News and World Report, Orlando News 6, NBC 6 South Florida,
WCTV - TV in Tallahassee, Fla., WPTV - TV in West Palm Beac h, Fla., and Aviation
Pros.com.
NATCA ZNY MEMBER, ON BOTH NATIONAL AND LOCAL TV, REPRESENTS
TEAM OF CONTROLLERS WHO WORKED SWA1380 EMERGENCY
NATCA member and New York Center (ZNY) controller Cory Davids was the first
controller to talk with Southwest Airlines Capt. Tammie Jo Shults after the plane she was
piloti ng experienced a catastrophic engine failure after departing from New
York LaGuardia Airport on April 17.
Davids represented our profession and Union well while being interviewed on May 1 0 at
ZNY by ABC News about the incident. ABC broadcast portions of his interview as part of
both Good Morning America and a larger ABC 20/20 program all about SWA Flight 1380
on May 11 . During his interview, he described the incident, talked about how air traffic
control works, and what it was like to interact with Capt. Shults that day.
Davids stated, "I want to stress that there were nine other controllers beside myself (at
ZNY and Philadelp hia TRACON and Tower) involved in this effort, showing amazing
professionalism, getting the plane from point A to point B. against the grain. The analogy
I've used is that it was like turning a car around on the New Jersey Turnpike and helping
it return to the previous exit. All of the controllers did a great job. We all had amazing
help getting that aircraft successfully down. It just made me proud to be an air traffic
controller."
Davids also did an interview on May 14 with WFTV - TV in Orlando. Because Da vids is an
Embry - Riddle graduate and the school is in the TV station's coverage area, they focused
on that angle to Davids's story. From the story:
