NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST
A few years ago, I experienced a near-miss while flying an AH-64D that taught me a lesson I will never forget: Adaptability and safety are more important than a rigid training schedule. When environmental hazards and fatigue combine to elevate risk, sometimes the best decision is to terminate training and land the aircraft.
Incident summary
In the desert setting of Fort Bliss, Texas, degraded visual environment (DVE) training is essential to aircrew readiness. Our unit commander had recently emphasized the importance of ensuring crews remained sharp on both DVE landings and terrain flight techniques. We were scheduled to take off early in the afternoon for a single-ship training flight to accomplish those tasks, taking advantage of the calm conditions typical for that time of day. Unfortunately, some unexpected maintenance delays pushed our mission into the late afternoon.
After bumping out of two aircraft, we finally launched about . By that time, however, our ideal weather had passed and the winds were picking up. We pressed on, completing the terrain flight operations before heading to a dusty landing zone to practice DVE landings.
During our initial low-level recon of the landing area, we noted that the winds were extremely variable and stronger than expected. We were having trouble determining the most favorable approach path. As we began our descent, a strong tailwind developed right as the dust cloud enveloped the aircraft. We descended rapidly and entered a slight bank just a few feet from the ground. As we were buffeting in the air, the pilot on the controls became disoriented and immediately aborted the approach. We made the call to terminate the flight and returned to the airfield.
Hazard and human factors analysis
It’s often said that a near-miss is just inches or seconds from a catastrophic mishap. While our incident seemed minor on the surface, a closer look revealed several factors that compounded to create a serious situation. Understanding each factor helps us prevent a similar situation in the future.
- Environmental factors: We conducted the flight later than planned, which introduced higher winds and turbulence that were not present earlier in the day. Desert environments have highly variable wind patterns, and we failed to account for this change adequately in our go/no-go decision. Our initial briefing and risk assessment were based on a midday weather forecast, which became irrelevant hours later.
- Schedule pressure: Our motivation to complete the training objectives, despite the delays, was a significant factor. Both our crew and maintenance personnel had a long day. We felt an internal pressure to get it done, check the box and move on. This pressure can override good judgment and encourage a crew to accept greater risks than they normally would.
- Crew fatigue: The long delays and the demands of the preceding terrain flight had left us mentally fatigued. This degraded our cognitive function and likely made the pilot more susceptible to spatial disorientation. Had we been fresh, we might have identified the escalating risk earlier and scrubbed the dust landings.
- Refusal to adapt the plan: Our most critical error was refusing to adapt the plan as conditions deteriorated. Faced with gusting winds and crew fatigue, the correct decision would have been to switch to a less demanding training objective, such as traffic pattern work. Continuing with the original objective, despite new hazards, was a clear failure of dynamic risk management.
Lessons learned
The most important lesson from that day is that risk management must be a dynamic process. We began with a solid plan, but when maintenance delays and changing weather introduced new variables, that plan became a hazard. The right decision was to not force the objective, but to recognize the new reality and adapt. This incident serves as a constant reminder that a pilot’s best tool is their judgment. Mission success is not defined by completing every task, but by ensuring everyone returns home safely.
Did You Know?
The Army Safety Management Information System (ASMIS 2.0) Mishap and Near-Miss Reporting application provides a means for users to submit all classes of mishaps, as well as near misses. The tool was created to reduce the burden of reporting on safety officers and to improve decision-making by reducing the amount of data required and by providing enhanced visibility of mishaps and near misses at all levels of the Army. Check it out at https://mishap.safety.army.mil/.