DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (USTCNS) --- Senior Airman Luis Pimentel, a member of the 436th Security Forces Squadron, came to the rescue of a commercial jetliner that found itself in a precarious situation Sept. 12.

Pimentel, a member of the 436th Security Forces Squadron, was working his second day at Dover when he heard an Air Portugal airliner was being diverted here. The airliner was being escorted by two F-16 fighters for failure to comply with temporary air traffic restrictions imposed on planes coming into New York, because of the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said a language barrier caused miscommunication, which led air traffic controllers to divert the flight.

"When I heard it was a Portuguese airliner, I told my sergeant if they needed a translator that I spoke Portuguese," Pimentel said. "I spoke English at school and Portuguese at home."

The two-year Air Force veteran was born in Portugal and moved to the United States with his family when he was 12.

Pimentel soon found himself on the flight line serving as interpreter between the crew and FAA, FBI, and base officials.

"(The commander) told me what he wanted to tell the pilot, and I communicated with the pilot," explained Pimentel. "The pilot spoke some English, but I helped to make sure there wasn't any miscommunication."

The way Pimentel handled the situation impressed base officials.

"What struck me most was the fact that most of the things being discussed were not his area of expertise, but he was able to communicate effectively," said Col. Charles Smiley, 436th Support Group commander.

Pimentel also helped to interpret for the 235 passengers. "As they were coming off the plane to wait in the PAX terminal, I assured them everything was all right," he said. "I didn't think that I would use my Portuguese any time soon, I'm really glad I was able to help out."

Six hours later, authorities from the Transportation Security Agency cleared the plane to resume its flight. The plane departed here at 12:30 a.m. and headed for its original destination of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. There were no other problems reported.

Smiley said he was surprised and relieved at how things worked out.

"What are the odds that we happened to have a translator, who happened to be in security forces, who happened to be working that shift, and it was only his second day here at Dover," said Smiley.