DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 1997                TAG: 9704080463

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   39 lines

PILOT RECEIVES TOP AIR FORCE SAFETY AWARD CAPTAIN JETTISONED 2 LARGE FUEL TANKS AFTER ENGINE STALLED OVER WEEKSVILLE.

Capt. Chris Rose narrowly missed a Weeksville woman and her home last summer when he jettisoned large fuel tanks during a ``flame out'' in the air near the Coast Guard air base at Elizabeth City.

But his ability to escape death, save a crippled jet and avert ground casualties were a hit with the Air Force.

On Monday, the Air National Guard jet fighter pilot was awarded the Air Force's top jet flying safety award, the Koren Kolligan Jr. Trophy.

Rose, of Cheltenham, Md., was presented the trophy by Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, the Air Force chief of staff, during a closed ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The award, first given in 1958, recognizes outstanding feats of airmanship by individual aircrew members.

On June 27, Rose was making practice runs at the Dare County Bombing Range when his $20 million jet fighter developed engine trouble. He elected to head for the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station near Elizabeth City.

The engine on Rose's F-16 Fighting Falcon quit at an altitude of 15,000 feet, and the pilot glided the aircraft to the Coast Guard runway in an emergency landing.

Along the way, Rose dropped two large, cylindrical fuel tanks, prompting a Weeksville woman to call sheriff's deputies and report the area was under ``rocket attack.''

Rita Smithson, 64, was in her garage, getting ready to leave her house on Four Forks Road, when she heard a thunderous noise. She ran outside to find a tank in her front yard and another across the street in a cabbage patch.

The incident attracted a great deal of media coverage, including segments on CNN and the syndicated show ``Real TV.''

In addition to being a member of the D.C. Air Guard's 113th Fighter Wing, Rose also works full time for United Airlines as a second officer flying aboard a Boeing 727.

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