The National Business Aviation Association last week recognized two pilots, Bruce Monnier and Gerald Downs with its first-ever NBAA Above and Beyond Airmanship Award, for their heroic efforts to land their Cessna Citation 550 at Savannah’s Hilton Head Airport (KSAV) following the complete failure of both engines. One of the Citation’s engines flamed out at 35,000 feet after a groundcrew member at Punta Gorda, Florida mistakenly mixed diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) with the jet fuel added before the aircraft departed. DEF clogged the engine fuel filters and essentially starved the engines. The Citation’s second engine shut down while the aircraft was conducting a single-engine approach to KSAV. Bruce Monnier was the pilot flying while Gerald Downs acted as the non-flying crewmember. Additionally, another Citation 550 crew who also received the contaminated fuel suffered from a single engine failure and safely landed their aircraft in Louisville, Kentucky.
NBAA Awards Two Citation Pilots With Above and Beyond Airmanship Award
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots Bruce Monnier and Gerald Downs received the NBAA Above and Beyond Airmanship Award for safely landing their Cessna Citation 550 after both engines failed.
- The dual-engine failure was caused by jet fuel mistakenly contaminated with diesel exhaust fluid by a groundcrew member.
- The award, created by NBAA's Safety Committee, recognizes exceptional actions taken to prevent injury, loss of life, or catastrophic aircraft damage.
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