Two Bangor air-traffic controllers are being recognized for saving a pilot – and innocent civilians on the ground – from what could well have been a crash.
Joshua Costello and Bryan Loquet work the tower at the Bangor International Airport, part of the FAA’s New England region.
Costello and Loquet will be among 20 sky bosses from FAA regions across the country to be honored at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association annual safety-award conference Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.
They will be receiving the Archie League Medal of Safety, created in 2004 and named for the first air traffic controller, Archie League.
Remarkably, Costello and Loquet are the only ones receiving top accolades from the expansive New England sector, which includes Logan International Airport in Boston, the largest and busiest airfield in the region.
The region also includes Bradley International in Connecticut, T.F. Green International in Rhode Island, Manchester-Boston Regional in New Hampshire, Portland International, Burlington International in Vermont.
Bangor is often the landing field of choice for emergency diversions involving international flights along the eastern seaboard because it’s among the closest to and from the ocean.
Here is the award citation for the best of the USA’s tower personnel, located in Bangor, Maine:
On April 20, a pilot flying a Piper PA-28 Cherokee was hit with a wall of fog. Not being Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capable and qualified, the pilot needed assistance finding an airport with visibility to land before he was out of fuel.
With no airports in the immediate area having achieved Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions – and the clock ticking down – air-traffic controller Costello instantly recognized the severity of the situation.
He wasted no time, recalling fellow controller Loquet from his break early to assist in the effort.
The pair contacted neighboring towers to identify a clear airport for landing, but their options and time were limited.
Despite the low-visibility conditions and the pilot’s inexperience, Costello and Loquet helped the pilot make a landing at Bangor.
With the pilot having just enough fuel to make two attempts at landing, Costello was by his side every step of the way.
After the first attempt at landing was unsuccessful, and one tank now empty, it was Costello who walked the pilot through the last attempt to land.
Thanks to his calm, expertise, and quick-thinking, Costello was instrumental in the pilot’s ability to finally make a safe landing despite the odds.
Bangor, which handles both civilian and military flights, has one of the longest runways – 11,440 feet – in the country.
Moreover, the airport’s location on major air corridors between Europe and the east coast make it a common spot for diverted international flights, as well as military charter flights.
Originally a military installation known as Dow Air Force Base, Bangor remains the headquarters of the 101st refueling wing of the Maine Air National Guard.
