Captain Tim Canoll, ALPA President, presents the 2015 Superior Airmanship Awards to Captain Terry Van Hoose (left) and First Officer Mark Moser (right).

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) announced that it will honor former ExpressJet First Officer Mark Moser for his extraordinary effort in performing an emergency landing after an unprecedented malfunction of airspeed instruments during inclement weather conditions. ALPA will present this year’s Superior Airmanship Award to First Officer Moser, currently with Frontier Airlines at an awards banquet during the 62nd Air Safety Forum in Washington, D.C.

“First Officer Moser’s professionalism and piloting skills were vital in ensuring the safety of his passengers and fellow crewmembers,” said Capt. Dave Allen, chairman of the ExpressJet pilot group’s Master Executive Council. “First Officer Moser relied on his experience and problem solving to respond accordingly in a particularly stressful environment. Working as a cohesive unit, the crew was able to keep the situation from escalating further while they focused on safely landing the aircraft.”

On May 11, 2015, ExpressJet Flight 4291 took off from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to San Luis Potosí, Mexico. After an initial delay, the flight departed just prior to midnight and the crew faced a challenging flight ahead as extreme weather covered most of the flight path.

First Officer Moser was working the flight with Capt. Terry VanHoose [read the press release for Capt. VanHoose], a seasoned pilot with nearly 20 years of experience. After maneuvering around a patch of inclement weather, the crew initially leveled off at 34,000 feet but contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) to request a higher altitude in hopes of providing passengers with a smoother ride.

After establishing a new flight path, the crew flew around additional areas of deteriorating weather. Around 125 miles into the new path, Capt. VanHoose and First Officer Moser began to see anomalies in their basic flight instruments. As they evaluated the situation, they quickly realized that they had lost both of their air data computers, meaning that the basic flight instruments were unreliable.

Capt. VanHoose flew the aircraft and tasked First Officer Moser to run the appropriate troubleshooting procedures. With multiple faults presenting, First Officer Moser ran the Quick Reference Handbook procedure associated with the most likely starting point, an unreliable airspeed.

Disconnecting the autopilot, Capt. VanHoose flew the aircraft manually as First Officer Moser continued through the checklist. With weather conditions worsening and mountainous terrain along their route, combined with the current condition of the aircraft, the crew determined that continuing to Mexico was not an option and requested assistance from ATC.

Utilizing all resources available, the crew was able to find acceptable conditions in San Antonio, Tex., and elected to divert. To make matters worse, shortly after turning back to the north and deviating around the thunderstorms in the area, the aircraft was struck by lightning. A quick assessment determined no additional loss to their already minimal number of flight instruments.

Relying on their manual flying skills and combined years of experience, the crew safely landed the 50-passenger jet at San Antonio International Airport shortly before 2:00 a.m. local time.

“First Officer Moser’s calm demeanor under pressure and expert piloting is a true testament to what the ALPA Superior Airmanship Award celebrates,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president. “We are honored to recognize the accomplishments of First Officer Moser and celebrate his continued dedication to aviation safety. The successful outcome of Flight 4291 highlights the importance of having well-trained, highly skilled, professional pilots who can skillfully work together to respond to emergency situations.”