During the period of 1 June 2014 to 31 May 2015 LT Crowley exhibited superior performance as both the Flight and Ground Safety Officer for Air Station Houston. Working closely with the Air Station Houston command cadre, LT Crowley worked tirelessly to forge an open reporting culture that was founded on the Just Culture ethos and the Commandant’s core values. As a result, Air Station Houston set the standard for the Coast Guard Aviation Community in mishap response, analysis and reporting all of which culminated in a significant reduction in the Air Station Houston mishap rate.
Other accomplishments of note included the establishment of a unit Human Factors Council to address the safety and performance of all aircrew; a complete overhaul of the unit’s operational risk management program as well as the monthly Flight and Ground Safety Boards to identify safety concerns, enhance aircrew proficiency, and ensure all air station processes were continually monitored for effectiveness; the implementation of an innovative weather safety alerting system for command personnel; partnering with the NTSB to thoroughly analyze a Class A mishap involving a local Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft; the planning and execution of two full-scale mishap drills with local, district, and HQ entities; the implementation of a 4-month safety pause for night shift maintenance and the enactment of a duty section maintenance plan following the loss of the unit hangar lighting system; leveraging fallout funding to purchase a drive-on fuel truck spill containment system and procuring enhanced spill response kits; and initiating numerous safety recommendations resulting in enterprise-wide improvements in operational reliability and efficiency.
As the Air Station Houston Flight Safety Officer, LT Crowley embodies the Commandant’s guiding principles of Duty to People and Commitment to Excellence. His attention to detail and devotion to duty are paramount to the unit’s safe execution of Coast Guard missions, and as such are highly deserving of the 2015 Captain Marion “Gus” Shrode Aviation Safety Award.