Plugged in with Air Traffic Controllers

Follow how air traffic controllers in Newark guided a panicked pilot lost in the clouds to safety.

By Jim Tise, FAA

The pilot was panicked. Controller Angela Diolosa could hear it in his voice.

Scattered cloud layers had appeared quickly in the airspace surrounding Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, rattling the pilot who could fly only by sight (VFR), not with instruments (IFR).

Fortunately for the pilot of the Piper Cherokee, experienced controllers and supervisors were on his side. “I was pretty confident we could get him below the clouds and get him to where he needed to be,” said Philip Wagner, air traffic supervisor at Newark.

The incident occurred around 8:15 pm on Aug. 21. There was no rain or heavy winds to complicate the pilot assist, but cloud ceilings started at 2,000 feet and descended to as low as 900 feet.

The pilot was flying in from the southwest, heading for Linden Airport in New Jersey, when he informed Diolosa, “We are stuck here in the clouds.” When she asked if he was IFR-certified, the pilot responded with an emphatic, “No.”

“[I had] to stay calm, cool and collected because this pilot was freaking out,” explained Diolosa, who has worked as a controller for 15 years. That was not the easiest thing to do because there was steady traffic flying into and out of the airport. A number of aircraft sharing the frequency were contacting her for instructions.

She told them they had to hold because there was a pilot in distress. “He became my priority,” she explained.

Wagner was ready to back her up. “We would definitely stop departing traffic to help him get safely out of the way,” he said. “We were able to keep our departures moving once we figured out where the aircraft was.”

While Diolosa worked to calm the pilot and figure out the best way to proceed, fellow controllers in the tower cab immediately pitched in to help.

“There is a lot of behind-the-scenes things going on,” she noted. “People are giving me updates on the plane’s position, as well as cloud updates and weather updates.” One controller grabbed the binoculars to search the skies for the Piper, while others contacted nearby airports for weather reports, hoping to identify cloud breaks through which the pilot could descend.

Meanwhile, Diolosa was trying to establish what she calls a “trust relationship” by continually feeding the pilot headings to keep his mind off his panic.

Diolosa’s initial thought was to guide the pilot to JFK International Airport, but he insisted on landing at Linden. So she focused on the Verrazzano Bridge — a huge structure easily seen from the air — as a landmark by which to guide the plane.

The pilot could see the bridge at times from above the clouds but was reticent to descend. Once he reached the bridge, Diolosa directed him to Linden Airport.

The pilot told her he would follow the highway that led to Linden. “If that’s what makes you most comfortable that’s fine,” she replied, using a steady voice to assuage him. “You’re headed right in the perfect direction. Stay on my frequency. Let me know when you’re on the ground.”

Just before the pilot landed, he expressed appreciation for the work of the controllers. “Nice job,” he told them.

Diolosa acknowledged the help of her colleagues, especially Wagner. Supervisors, she said, “are the other set of eyes and ears on top of what other controllers are doing in the tower cab. To have the supervisor also in the cab is really important. They can focus on the emergency…”

After the Piper landed safely, she continued working helicopter traffic at the tower until break time. “I think anytime an aircraft is in distress, it’s complicated and it comes with all sorts of emotions,” she said.

She had worked two pilot assists before, but this was her first one with a pilot stuck in the clouds. “I hope it’s my very last one,” she chuckled.

Wagner shared his impressions of Diolosa: “She does a good job working the traffic. She comes to work ready to go.”

Think you’ve got what it takes to be an Air Traffic Controller? The 2023 window to apply to be an air traffic controller is open May 5–8. Don’t miss out — prepare your application now at faa.gov/be-atc.