TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A Tucson air-traffic controller has been honored for helping an F-16 pilot avoid a crash with a private plane.
The Arizona Daily Star reports the National Air Traffic Controllers Association recently named Scott Allen the recipient of the Archie League of Medal of Safety Award - the association’s highest honor.
Allen was working Nov. 9, 2017, when four F-16s had been cleared to land on a Tucson International Airport runway that had been shortened for construction. There also was a runway crossing that sometimes created confusion at the time.
Allen is credited with warning the F-16 pilot that the private plane was about to cross its path. The F-16 shot upward immediately following Allen’s warning.
Officials say the aircraft avoided a collision by about 20 feet.
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