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Andrew Champagne, a U.S. Coast Guard avionics electrical technician second class, is the 2022 recipient of Helicopter Association International’s (HAI) Salute to Excellence Matthew S. Zuccaro Land & Live Award. The award recognizes aeronautical decision-making, crew resource management, and coordinated actions by flight crews that result in the decision to terminate a flight before an accident could occur.
Based in Cape Cod, Champagne maintains the electrical systems of the station’s Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk fleet and serves as a flight mechanic during rescues.
On a low-IFR morning of June 8, 2021, Champagne and his crew took off for a search and rescue mission that was 175 miles away with a full 5,800 pounds of fuel in the aircraft’s three external fuel tanks. Shortly after takeoff, Champagne, who attended a vibrations-analysis school for aircraft systems as part of his Coast Guard training, felt a shaking in his seat. Unable to determine where it was coming from, he warned of the abnormality. No one else felt the vibration but the aircraft commander asked if Champagne wanted to abort the flight. Champagne agreed, knowing that if he were to wait any longer, they would be under IFR, having to fly an instrument procedure out and back into the airport. Doing so would not only put the crew at risk, but it would put the aircraft over densely populated areas.
Back on the ground, Champagne inspected the aircraft and discovered that he could move the left inboard external tank with his hand. The decision to abort avoided the potential for the 120-gallon fuel tank coming loose and landing in a populated area or the potential for the aircraft to have crashed.“The biggest thing we’ve all taken from this experience is no matter what you feel, see, or smell, it’s so important to speak up,” Champagne said. “A lot of people will second-guess themselves or are afraid to speak up, and that’s when accidents happen. We’re fortunate to have a culture in the Coast Guard where any of us can decide to abort a flight and it’s never questioned.”