Release #: 15.30
July 23, 2015
Delta Air Lines Crew Honored with ALPA’s Superior Airmanship Award
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today will honor Delta Air Lines Capt. James Judkins and First Officer Michael Oates with the ALPA Superior Airmanship Award for their extraordinary effort in performing an emergency landing in low visibility after a series of inflight electrical failures disabled several of their cockpit systems.
“Through unparalleled professionalism and years of piloting experience, Capt. Judkins and First Officer Oates guided their passengers and fellow crewmembers to safety,” said Capt. Michael Donatelli, chairman of the Delta Air Lines pilot group’s Master Executive Council. “These highly skilled pilots kept the aircraft under control in bad weather despite limited instrument references. They managed their intense cockpit workload in a stressful situation and coordinated with the cabin crew in order to safely land the plane.”
On Dec. 23, 2014, with more than 100 passengers and crewmembers onboard, Delta Air Lines Flight 1990 took off from Atlanta Hartsfield, destined for Savannah, Ga., under a thick blanket of cloud and fog.
Capt. Judkins, with nearly 20 years of flying for Delta Air Lines, was monitoring the flight with First Officer Oates doing the flying. As the airplane climbed through 8,000 feet, the pilots noticed that the aircraft began to suffer a series of electrical failures, with multiple malfunction messages appearing on the cockpit displays. The autopilot and autothrottles disconnected, and some of Capt. Judkins’ flight instruments cycled on and off.
Capt. Judkins took the controls and asked First Officer Oates to begin troubleshooting procedures. Multiple fault and failure messages appearing on the cockpit displays left the pilots saturated with information, but Capt. Judkins’ experience led him to identify the most likely starting point—one of the aircraft’s electrical generators.
The messages on the cockpit displays popped up and disappeared so fast that it was difficult to determine the problem and whether any solution was working.
Capt. Judkins declared an emergency with air traffic control (ATC), which began to guide them back to the airport. The emergency lights in the cabin had illuminated, and Capt. Judkins informed passengers that the flight was headed back to Atlanta.
Along the way, some of the instruments began to function again. The weather was worsening, so Capt. Judkins asked ATC for the most precise electronic guidance available to the runway. Capt. Judkins manually flew a “Category II” Instrument Landing System approach—normally aided by the autopilot—with visibility on the runway dropping to less than half a mile. Control of the airplane was difficult due to the loss of systems that typically deal with changes in control pressures resulting from landing gear and wing flap extension. Capt. Judkins and First Officer Oates expertly guided the aircraft to a safe landing despite the challenges this unexpected and hazardous event presented.
“Capt. Judkins and First Officer Oates clearly displayed superior airmanship, and their actions are the embodiment of what this award celebrates,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president. “The successful outcome of Flight 1990 highlights the importance of having well-trained, highly skilled, professional pilots who can deftly work together to respond to emergency situations.”
Delta Captain James Judkins (L) and First Officer Michael Oates receive Superior Airmanship Awards from Captain Canoll and Captain Donatelli
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 52,000 pilots at 31 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org