Save Story: Controller’s ‘Call in the Blind’ Saves Pilot

Uriah Addington made his second-to-last day working as an air traffic controller count — big time — before he was promoted to operations supervisor at Cincinnati Tower.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Addington was working flights on the radar scope from Lexington Tower/TRACON in Kentucky when the pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza was unknowingly in danger from a converging aircraft.
Uriah Addington
The pilot had departed for a short flight to the non-towered airport of Somerset, Kentucky, about 70 miles south of Lexington. After practicing maneuvers in the Lexington airspace, with Addington providing service, pilot David Leddy said he would proceed southbound without needing air traffic control services.
Addington offered to set up flight following — or traffic advisories — for Leddy, but the pilot declined, saying that it was just a short flight he was taking with his son. Addington terminated radar service, but just a few minutes later he noticed converging traffic on the left side of the aircraft. He alerted Leddy immediately.
“The aircraft was on a collision course to T-bone [Leddy], and fortunately he heard the call and was able to maneuver out of the way,” recalled Addington.
Leddy did not have a chance to thank Addington on the frequency, but when he landed he emailed the controller express gratitude for going above and beyond to help avoid what could have been a dangerous situation.
“He made the call, and it may have been one of those things where he could have avoided a midair collision,” Leddy said. “I wanted to thank him for the culture of safety they foster and the important job he and other controllers do every day.”
Leddy was most impressed that, while he had terminated radar service, the controller still had the foresight and professionalism to continue scanning the airspace and make a call “in the blind,” a transmission without obtaining acknowledgement from the pilot. It was enough to get the pilot’s attention. Equally impressive is that no conflict alert went off to help Addington notice the problem unfolding.
Podcast: How Air Traffic Works
The FAA keeps 5,000 airplanes moving safely through the sky every hour. How is this possible?
medium.com

“Truthfully, I didn’t think anything of it when it happened,” Addington said humbly. “I just kept working. It goes back to the way I was trained. At different facilities I’ve had great trainers that harped at the need to keep scanning, and that scenario was a perfect example. You don’t know if the guy is there or not. You just make that transmission.”
Air Traffic Services Deputy Vice President Brian Throop commended Addington for his “great level of focus and professionalism.” Addington was a controller for 12 years, with most of them in Lexington and Jacksonville, Florida, and Air Traffic Services selected him to serve as an operations supervisor at Cincinnati TRACON, which borders Lexington’s airspace from the north.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be fun and challenging and something different,” said Addington, who is training remotely for his new position. “My wife and I are from Kentucky, so we’ll still be close to our families.”

Uriah Addington made his second-to-last day working as an air traffic controller count — big time — before he was promoted to operations supervisor at Cincinnati Tower.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Addington was working flights on the radar scope from Lexington Tower/TRACON in Kentucky when the pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza was unknowingly in danger from a converging aircraft.
Uriah Addington
The pilot had departed for a short flight to the non-towered airport of Somerset, Kentucky, about 70 miles south of Lexington. After practicing maneuvers in the Lexington airspace, with Addington providing service, pilot David Leddy said he would proceed southbound without needing air traffic control services.
Addington offered to set up flight following — or traffic advisories — for Leddy, but the pilot declined, saying that it was just a short flight he was taking with his son. Addington terminated radar service, but just a few minutes later he noticed converging traffic on the left side of the aircraft. He alerted Leddy immediately.
“The aircraft was on a collision course to T-bone [Leddy], and fortunately he heard the call and was able to maneuver out of the way,” recalled Addington.
Leddy did not have a chance to thank Addington on the frequency, but when he landed he emailed the controller express gratitude for going above and beyond to help avoid what could have been a dangerous situation.
“He made the call, and it may have been one of those things where he could have avoided a midair collision,” Leddy said. “I wanted to thank him for the culture of safety they foster and the important job he and other controllers do every day.”
Leddy was most impressed that, while he had terminated radar service, the controller still had the foresight and professionalism to continue scanning the airspace and make a call “in the blind,” a transmission without obtaining acknowledgement from the pilot. It was enough to get the pilot’s attention. Equally impressive is that no conflict alert went off to help Addington notice the problem unfolding.
Podcast: How Air Traffic Works
The FAA keeps 5,000 airplanes moving safely through the sky every hour. How is this possible?
medium.com

“Truthfully, I didn’t think anything of it when it happened,” Addington said humbly. “I just kept working. It goes back to the way I was trained. At different facilities I’ve had great trainers that harped at the need to keep scanning, and that scenario was a perfect example. You don’t know if the guy is there or not. You just make that transmission.”
Air Traffic Services Deputy Vice President Brian Throop commended Addington for his “great level of focus and professionalism.” Addington was a controller for 12 years, with most of them in Lexington and Jacksonville, Florida, and Air Traffic Services selected him to serve as an operations supervisor at Cincinnati TRACON, which borders Lexington’s airspace from the north.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be fun and challenging and something different,” said Addington, who is training remotely for his new position. “My wife and I are from Kentucky, so we’ll still be close to our families.”