On Wednesday, Federal Aviation Administration officials praised Rodriguez and fellow air traffic controller Bruce Bradigan for working together quickly to notify the pilot of a Cessna 210 Centurion that the landing gear was not down.
The pilot, who was unaware of the situation, was able to cancel his approach, fly around and return for another landing.
"It shows the teamwork between the pilots and traffic controllers," said Gregory Hatcher, air traffic manager for the FAA.
The incident occurred at 9:45 a.m.
The actions of Rodriguez and Bradigan demonstrate the important role air traffic controllers play, Gregor said.
"Controllers work in anonymity to do a lot of great things. Every day they do a heroic job and don't get credit," Gregor said. "Sometimes it's nice to pull the cloak of anonymity and give them credit for a job well done."
The two men will be commended for their actions, Hatcher said. The department has requested a Flight Assist, an honor given to individuals for doing a good job.
The two controllers said they are very familiar with the pilot of the Cessna, Bill Otto, who commutes by plane from his home in Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains to his aircraft repair business near the airport.
"For a lot of people, when they do the same thing day in and day out, sometimes they forget," Otto said. "Unfortunately for me, I forgot to get the gear down.
"Fortunately, the Southwest pilot saw it, called the tower, the tower reminded me, and I put the gear down. It's very embarrassing."
The last time there was a similar incident at the airport was about 11 years ago, Hatcher said.
FAA officials played the two-minute audio recording of the interaction between the air traffic controllers and the pilots.
In the playback, there is a slight pause after Rodriguez is notified by the Southwest pilot.
"I wanted to make sure the gear wasn't up, because he was about 20 to 30 feet from the final landing," said Rodriguez, 23.
Rodriguez, who has been on the job for just seven months, never imagined he would have to respond to such an incident this early in his career.
The Chino resident said he took aviation science classes at Mt. San Antonio Community College and in January went to Oklahoma City for a six-week academy to become a controller for the FAA.
"In the academy we have simulators, this was real life," he said.
In the recording, Rodriguez is alerted by the pilot of a Southwest flight getting ready to depart the airport. Rodriguez then notifies local controller and co-worker Bradigan about the Cessna's condition.
Bradigan, who handles arriving and departing flights, relayed the message to the pilot of the Cessna.
In the recording, the pilot of the Cessna replies, "Oh that's a good call, thank you. Thanks so much."
It is not unusual for pilots and air traffic controllers to look at airplanes as they are landing or departing, said Bradigan, who has been a certified air traffic controller for 30 years.
In this case, the Southwest pilot was in a better position to spot the problem than the tower personnel were, he said.
"I'm not sure I would have caught it, and I'm not sure Carlos would have," Bradigan said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
liset.marquez@inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 483-8556
Video Link: Runway Disaster Averted
Photo Gallery: Runway Disaster Averted
