Helicopter Mechanic Richard Gibson Receives AirWard at Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, AZ. – On Wednesday, November 19, helicopter mechanic Richard Gibson received a well-deserved Department of Interior AirWard. According to the letter accompanying the award, he received this recognition for, “always going the extra mile to ensure the safety of his aircraft and passengers.”

Richard is an employee of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter and is contracted as the mechanic for the National Park Service’s MD 902 contract helicopter in Grand Canyon National Park. Jay Lusher, the park’s Helicopter Program Manager, submitted Richard’s name for the award after his vigilance and follow through led to the discovery of latent damage to the helicopter that eventually could have caused a pilot to lose directional control of the craft.

In July, when a friend and peer notified Gibson that two helicopters similar to the park’s, one of which had recently been involved in a hard landing, had been found to have cracks or fractures in their forward directional control cable (FDCC) or FDCC mounting bracket, Gibson requested that the park’s helicopter be put out of service until it could receive a thorough inspection. The next day, a crack was discovered in the helicopter’s mounting bracket. Gibson then went even further. Rather than just replacing the bracket, he contacted the manufacturer, McDonald Douglas Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI), about the problem. When they recommended he replace the FDCC because the damaged mounting bracket might have affected it, he replaced both. After its replacement, MDHI examined the park helicopter’s old FDCC and determined that it, too, had been faulty.

According to Lusher, this example of Gibson’s pro-active intervention and attention to detail was not an isolated incident. “Richard is always here, working and doing extra inspections to ensure our machines are well-maintained and we are all safe.”

During the brief award ceremony, Gibson also received a special flight jacket in recognition of his commitment to creating excellence beyond his own workplace. He is an instructor with the Grand Canyon National Park Helicopter Training Academy which was developed to meet the need for well-trained interagency helicopter crewmembers and program managers. As an instructor, Gibson shares his expertise with individuals from a wide variety of federal, state, and municipal agencies, helping them learn to recognize when things are right and when they are not.

As he was handed his award and jacket, people started to ask Richard if he had a speech prepared. “No,” he replied, seeming surprised. “To me, it was just doing my job.”

In 2003, the failure of a similar system on the park-contracted MD 900, caused it to crash land. Amazingly, none of the five people on board were injured. In 2008, Richard Gibson prevented a similar incident by “just doing his job.” We should all do ours as well. On behalf of everyone at Grand Canyon National Park, thank you, Richard, and congratulations.

-NPS-