Save Story: Heads Up at Terre Haute
Air traffic control supervisor Matt Gillett caught hazards on back-to-back days in June, one of which could have prevented a collision between two aircraft.
By C. Troxell, FAA
Air traffic control professionals must remain attentive to all flights in their airspace in order to keep the skies safe. Not everything goes as planned, and that’s why situational awareness is absolutely critical to maintaining a safe airspace system.
The FAA defines situational awareness as “the accurate perception and understanding of all the factors and conditions within the four fundamental risk elements (pilot, aircraft, environment, and type of operation) that affect safety before, during, and after the flight.” In addition to pilots, controllers and supervisors demonstrate this every day in the national airspace system (NAS), which was highlighted by some great work by Terre Haute TRACON Operations Supervisor Matt Gillett on June 15 and 16.
On June 15, Gillett noticed a pilot testing his new HondaJet climbing past the altitude block he was given. “If we didn’t say anything, it’s very well possible he would have kept going,” Gillett said, who alerted the pilot and prompted his descent, roughly 300 feet away from entering Indianapolis Center’s airspace. Fortunately, there were no other aircraft in conflict. However, the situation that unfolded the very next day could have resulted in a collision.
On June 16, Gillett noticed a target on the radar. The controller was unable to communicate with target and its altitude was not shown on the screen.
“Every now and then we’ll see false targets. They’ll usually track for a few seconds and then drop off, but there are times when we’ll see a primary target track the whole time. So, I could tell this was not a false target; it was an actual airplane. It had no transponder. We didn’t know if it was high or low, and we didn’t know the aircraft type.”
Gillett advised the controller to watch the target closely. The aircraft turned southbound toward Monroe County Airport in Bloomington, Indiana. Gillett immediately picked up the phone and dialed the control tower in Bloomington to notify them.
At the time, Bloomington controllers were working traffic in the pattern for Runway 35 — on the south side of the airport — with a flight approaching. The target that Gillett alerted them to was approaching Runway 17 — from the opposite direction.
Bloomington controllers grabbed the binoculars and spotted the unexpected single-engine aircraft approaching Runway 17 from the north without air traffic control clearance. They were unable to contact the pilot who was without a functioning radio. The controllers immediately issued a go-around for the flight approaching Runway 35 from the south.
“I’m not saying a collision would have happened, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that it could have because their back would have been toward that aircraft…and the fact that they told me they had to breakout their guy and tell the guy on 35 to go around, I think that could have been an issue.”
Gillett said his training and experience at Terre Haute paid off in these situations, and he emphasized that these two occasions are just a couple examples of supervisors and controllers doing their jobs.
“There have been numerous other times I have done things like this that are never spoken of,” he said. “And the same goes for numerous other controllers, not just at Terre Haute but also nationwide, that have helped pilots get out of jams.”
Gillett pointed out that Terre Haute prevented a plane from making a gear-up, belly landing on Aug. 11. “It’s just part of the job,” Gillett said. “It’s just what we do.”
Gillett’s journey
Gillett was drawn to aviation at a young age, growing up very close to Indianapolis International Airport. He remembers airliners flying overhead and shaking the house.
“When I would be playing outside, I would look up, and these planes would already have their landing gear down, flying probably about 2,000 feet above the ground,” he recalled.
Terre Haute TRACON
When Gillett graduated from high school, a controller and friend of his father encouraged him to follow his interests and consider air traffic control as a career.
Gillett took the advice. He completed the air traffic collegiate training initiative at Purdue University and subsequently the FAA Academy’s program. He was very pleased he was able to return to Indiana and work in close proximity to his family and hometown.
Gillett has worked most of his career at Terre Haute TRACON (since 2011). Two years ago, he accepted a promotion to operations supervisor, in which he oversees up to six controllers at once in the operation.
“There is a great sense of pride helping pilots get from point A to point B,” he said. “Probably the most fulfilling is getting them through weather. They show a great sense of gratitude, and that is fulfilling as a controller.”
