CAPTAIN GUS SHRODE FLIGHT SAFETY AWARD

The 2010 recipient of the flight safety award is the safety department of Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles. 

Lt Patrick Dill USCG
Lt Barry Miles USCG
Lt Joel Cooper , Royal Australian Navy

 The safety department was selected by the commandant’s staff for outstanding performance  from among the impressive nominations of other aviation safety departments and individuals.

The los angeles air station safety department was instrumental in development of field level tactical patrol procedures for joint operations with the U.S. Border Patrol. Joint patrols resulted in the capture of 41 illegal migrants, 6 human traffickers, 2 vehicles, 6,800 dollars in cash and three tons of marijuana. The input and oversight of the safety department was considered critical to ensure crew and aircraft safety in demanding flight profiles in the high threat border environment.

The department implemented a formal unit practice to identify, document and code risks and mitigation strategies that enhanced transparency and risk awareness at all levels of the eleventh coast guard district.  The department also constructed a matrix tracking time between critical maneuvers enabling training missions to target specific areas of concern. In addition, valuable  contributions toward personal safety on the hangar deck included innovative mobile carts providing readily available protective gear to work sites elevating safety, work quality and efficiency while decreasing scheduled maintenance times.  The los angeles Air Station mission effectiveness was significantly enhanced by the many initiatives and superior performance of the safety department flight safety officers.

CHIEF OLIVER BERRY AVIATION MAINTENANCE AWARD

AMT1 Frank Fontanez of Aviation Training Center Mobile.  

Demonstrating exceptional leadership, superb technical expertise and professionalism, AMT1 Fontanez  was a key in the ATC aviation engineering division as HC-144A night check supervisor, quality assurance inspector and watch captain. His relentless work ethic, propensity to master new aircraft systems, and significant efforts mentoring and leading the workforce proved invaluable to the sustained high level of readiness of the Coast Guard inaugural HC-144A air facility.  AMT1 Fontanez was selected for this award from a group of twenty-two nominations of highly skilled and dedicated professional technicians from across Coast Guard aviation, a testament to the talent, character and devotion of the Coast Guard aviation maintenance workforce

COMMANDER ELMER STONE FIXED WING RESCUE AWARD

CREW OF HC-130H 1706 - CGAS BARBERS POINT, HI

LT David Shook
LTJG Phillip Ortega
AET1 Robert Blume
AET2 Michael House
AMT3 Case McCroden
AMT3 Paul Johnson

Demonstrated extraordinary skill and courage in saving the lives of ten fish and wildlife employees stranded on a tiny island in the path of a category three hurricane.

Tern Island lies approximately 500 miles west of Honolulu about half way between Hawaii and Midway Island. This small dot in the pacific is a sanctuary for birds, marine mammals and aquatic life. The island consists of little more than an old dilapidated coral runway less than 3,000 feet long and not much wider than a C-130 wingtip to wingtip. This runway of sorts is normally only suitable for small twin engine aircraft landing and taking off in ideal weather conditions. When the request came in to evacuate the ten people, HC-130H 1706 launched with the crew aware that if for some reason they were unable to take off from tern island, they themselves would also be stranded while a 25 foot storm surge engulfed the island. The crew employed their aircraft to its maximum capabilities by successfully landing on the short, wet strip of coral, loading all ten individuals and making a risky takeoff complicated by multiple bird strikes. Through their effective use of mission planning, crew resource management, proactive leadership and exceptional airmanship , the crew succeeded in preserving the lives of fellow Americans working to protect the nation’s assets and livelihood.

CAPTAIN FRANK ERICKSON ROTARY WING RESCUE AWARD

CREW OF HH-65C 6517 AIR STATION ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

LCDR Sean O’brien
LT Neal Corbin
AMT2 Ian Berg
AST2 David Downham

On august 3rd, 2009, their brave actions resulted in the saving of four lives from the fishing vessel, Alexander II, sinking offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Facing a dense blanket of fog and deteriorating weather conditions, the crew demonstrated keen situational awareness, risk reduction savvy and skillfuly balanced aircraft capabilities. The helicopter was flown in instrument conditions the entire ninety miles to the scene with the crew learning en route that requested air support would be unable to participate which made communications with the SAR Mission Controller all the more challenging. The crew was able to establish communications via a relay through another fishing vessel which permitted the passing of pertinent case information in real time. Battling darkness, fog and haze, the crew located the vessel still afloat with the crew in a nearby liferaft. Conducting power checks, the crew realized all four survivors could not be recovered without exceeding aircraft weight limitations. After hoisting two survivors, the crew recalculated fuel burn, winds and distance to shore and made the difficult decision to jettison fuel to allow for the rescue of the remaining two survivors. Once all the rescued were safely on board, the crew then faced deteriorating weather conditions all along the eastern seboard with fog on the surface, visibility less than one eighth of a mile and fuel critical. An alternate landing site was necessary. The crew zeroed in on an uncontrolled airfield just within range and arrived at the initial approach fix with only enough fuel for one instrument approach. Landing with mere seconds to spare, the four mariners were safely transferred to waiting medical personnel. The crew’s superlative aeronauticfal abilities, extraordinary bravery, and impressive teamwork throught this perilous mission have been described as beyond heroic.