2022, New England Region: Patrick Sullivan, Boston ATCT (BOS)

It was a typical Tuesday evening around 11:30 p.m. when Boston Tower (BOS) controller Patrick Sullivan was contacted by the pilot of N477GJ, a BE40, requesting to taxi to Runway 9. The pilot read his clearance back incorrectly, which led Sullivan to reissue the taxi clearance, which the pilot again read back incorrectly. Continued errors in understanding instructions and following them resulted in the pilot heading directly toward a runway which had an aircraft on short final. “I jumped up and said, ‘STOP!’ and the pilot stopped and said, ‘Thank you’ and asked if he was in trouble,” Sullivan recalled. “I said, ‘No, you didn’t cross the runway, you didn’t get onto the runway. Just stay right there.’” Due to Sullivan’s quick action and clear communication, the pilot was able to take off without catastrophe or further incident. Read the full story of this save, for which New England Regional Vice President Mick Devine presented Sullivan with the 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the New England Region at #NATCACFS. https://www.natca.org/new-england-reg...