PPRuNe Forums - heroic action

Flight Safety Foundation
Professionalism Award in Flight Safety

is presented to

Capt. Jim Gerrell
First Officer Jason Broadwell
Capt. Burom Smith

For their successful response to an emergency caused by an in-flight fire.

Capt. Gerrell and First Officer Broadwell were the crew of a Fokker F27 cargo flight originating from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 27, 2004. Capt. Smith, a company supervisory pilot, was in the observer’s seat. During night cruise flight at 17,000 feet, the cargo-fire warning light illuminated.

Capt. Smith went into the cargo cabin to investigate and discovered an intense fire that nearly reached the cabin ceiling, close to where the elevator-control and rudder-control cables were located, and billowing smoke. The crew’s training took over as they made radio calls, performed checklists and re-positioned switches, all with calm, orderly, professional precision. Meanwhile Capt. Smith discharged two hand-held fire extinguishers, but the fire was out of control.

Air traffic control told Capt. Gerrell that the nearest suitable airport was 90 miles away — too far. The captain spotted the lights of a small town and asked ATC if the town had an airport. He was told that Melo, Uruguay, had a small airport but the runway lights were off because no arrivals were expected. The airport was invisible, but First Officer Broadwell and Capt. Smith used the global positioning system to locate the airport and fly a course toward it. At the last minute, the airport official in charge was awakened by telephone and ran to the tower to turn on the runway lights. With time for only one approach, the crew landed the airplane, performed the on-ground emergency checklist and exited via the right window because the cockpit door was too hot to touch; the aircraft was destroyed.

Flight Safety Foundation is proud to recognize Capt. Jim Gerrell, First Officer Jason Broadwell and Capt. Byron Smith for fulfillment of their professional duty under extremely urgent and trying circumstances.

Capt. James K. Almlie
FedEx Express
First Officer Mark J Abbott

For extraordinary skill, coordination and resourcefulness in preventing loss of life and loss of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 after a serious malfunction of its flight controls.

On June 16, 2002, the crew was conducting an approach to Subic Bay International Airport, Philippines. During their final flap setting at about 1,500 feet, the aircraft began a rapid roll to the left and pitched nose down. Using both hands and his left knee to maintain full right aileron, Capt. Almlie struggled to regain control. First Officer Abbott assisted in conducting a go-around, and they maneuvered to avoid nearby houses and mountains. They could not retract the inboard flaps, the landing gear or several spoilers deployed on the right wing. Control forces became so great at one point that Capt. Almlie transferred the flight controls to Abbott. He later improvised a method of manipulating the flight controls while First Officer Abbott operated the throttles to conduct the approach and land the aircraft at Manila.

Postflight inspection revealed that the left-hand inboard flap actuator had sheared from its mounting because of a failure of the mounting-assembly attach bolts. The actuator had impinged on other flight-control components and had severed lines in one hydraulic system.

Flight Safety Foundation is pleased to recognize Capt. James K. Almlie and First Officer Mark J. Abbott for responding to this emergency in a professional manner under difficult circumstances.