Julio Gómez-Pomar awards Civil Merit decorations to two ATCOs, one chopper pilot and a civil guard

The four recipients aided the emergency landing of an ultralight aircraft in Seville in 2015 after the pilot died during the flight

Secretary of State for Infrastructures, Transport and Housing, Julio Gómez-Pomar today awarded the Order of Civil Merit Cross to civil guard Fernando Vera García and the Officer of the Order of Civil Merit Cross to ENAIRE air traffic controllers Antonio Toscano Rute and Francisco Javier Gonzálvez García and the Directorate-General for Traffic helicopter pilot Antonio Zabau Torres in a ceremony that took place in Seville. ### Imagen embebida: IMG_NdP_062617_Medallas Toscano_Sevilla ###

An ultralight aircraft carrying Encarnación Molina Carrión made an emergency landing in Seville on 23 August 2015 after the pilot suddenly died during the flight.

The four recipients of the awards stayed with, controlled, helped and organised the rescue of the aircraft, saving the life of the passenger at this critical time. Ms Molina not only had to contend with the death of the pilot she was travelling in the aircraft with as a passenger but found herself alone in the plane with no knowledge of how to fly it.

After calling for help, the support mechanism was effectively activated and the four recipients executed their tasks perfectly and above and beyond the purely technical component.

The ENAIRE ATCOs at the Seville Control Centre, Antonio Toscano and Francisco Javier Gonzálvez (who was on duty), were able to calm the passenger and explain how to control the aircraft in an emergency landing of extreme difficulty and great risk. Antonio Toscano, who, like Francisco Javier Gonzálvez, is an ultralight pilot as well as an air traffic controller, was not on duty so took his own plane up to guide the aircraft in distress to the Seville Airport airfield.

Antonio Zabau, a helicopter pilot with the Directorate-General for Traffic, tracked the plane in order to be able to provide aid as soon as possible and quickly flew to earth close by the ultralight aircraft when it crashed. Civil Guard sergeant Fernando Vera was onboard the chopper and pulled the passenger from the aircraft that was on fire and which later suffered two explosions.

The Civil Merit crosses are a way to show society’s gratitude and public recognition for personal devotion and commitment in an emergency situation.

The joint work of the four recipients demonstrated not only their great professionalism but the excellent coordination of means and efforts by all the public services involved.