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Flight safety award
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Gibraltar Services Police Officer, Constable Charlie De Santos was awarded a flight safety award at RAF Gibraltar.
Constable De Santos was manning the barrier on Winston Churchill Avenue when his actions helped the RAF determine a potentially dangerous fault in a plane that had just taken off. Constable de Santos?s swift actions are explained in the words of his Flight Safety award nomination:
?On the 8th July a Citation business jet aircraft departed Gibraltar for Jersey. Shortly after the aircraft took off Air Traffic Control received a report from Constable de Santos who was manning the South Barrier at the airfield, to the effect that he had heard a metallic bang from the aircraft as it passed abeam his position. This information was subsequently relayed to the pilot, who was experiencing abnormal engine vibrations. As a direct result of the officer?s report the runway was inspected, and a small piece of metal was found near Winston Churchill Avenue.
The aircraft?s pilot elected to continue the flight to Jersey, albeit at reduced level and engine power, and was advised of the metal found at Gibraltar.
An inspection of the aircraft at Jersey resulted in the discovery that the fuel filler cap was missing, and a portion of this would appear to match the metal found on the runway. It appears that following refuelling this cap was not correctly attached, and the pilot failed to check that it was secure before take off. On departure the cap became dislodged and hit the engine causing damage to the fan blades.?
Constable de Santos?s actions helped the pilot to diagnose the reasons for his engine problem. It also enabled RAF Gibraltar to retrieve a sharp piece of metal from the runway which could have been a danger to other aircraft taking off from the runway. Mr Paul Gale, the Senior Air Traffic Control Officer praised his action:
?A less dedicated officer may have ignored the banging noise as not being his problem. I should like to pass on my thanks for his correct and timely action.?
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