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Lt. Col. Kevin Booth,
52nd Operations Support Squadron commander |
Two F-16 pilots from Spangdahlem AB assisted a Polar Air Cargo Boeing 747 jumbo jet to a safe landing last July after the cargo jet experienced a significant in-flight emergency. Capt. Gary Gabriel, the 747 pilot, reported to air traffic controllers in Frankfurt that he lost all navigational instruments after takeoff. The commercial pilot was relying solely on a standby attitude indicator and a magnetic compass while flying in cloudy conditions. When the Spangdahlem supervisor of flying received a request to assist the 747, two pilots were already in their jets waiting to take off. Lt. Col. Kevin Booth, 52nd Operations Support Squadron commander, and Lt. Col. Grant Bishop, 52nd Fighter Wing Inspector General flight chief, were asked if they would assist the distressed 747 carrying four crewmembers. Flying at about 500 knots, the Air Force jets made visual contact with the jumbo jet within ten minutes. Booth and Bishop guided the cargo jet pilot through thick, low clouds to clearer skies and a safe landing at Ramstein AB by way of the Rhein River Valley.
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