CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 SCOTT A. THOMAS
C Company, 4th Battalion, 101st Airborne Division,
159th Combat Aviation Brigade
Fort Campbell, Kentucky

It was the eighth month of our deployment and extremely hot in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. Our mission was a routine troop transport over a standard general support aviation battalion route that had been extended. Halfway through the mission, the crew in my sister ship had maintenance problems and was forced to return to base to switch aircraft.

Instead of shutting down and helping them move to the other aircraft, my crew and I elected to remain at idle — partially because we figured we would get in their way and, quite honestly, because we didn’t want to endure the extreme heat and humidity of Jalalabad. I know the crew in the other aircraft was thinking the same thing, and I realize now we probably put undue pressure on them to hurry their move to the spare aircraft. This, combined with the stress to get the mission done on time, acute crew fatigue and ignoring even the simplest of checks, almost caused a fatal accident.

The spare aircraft was on the pad beside where my sister ship shut down. We watched the crew transfer all of their gear, but for some reason they did not start a preflight. As we watched a couple of vehicles pull up to the aircraft, one of the pilots climbed into the cockpit to tell us what was transpiring.

In the mad rush to continue with the mission, the door gunner accidentally fired his M240 machine gun. The pilot in command was responsible for clearing the weapon after each flight. He admitted being complacent and having trusted the door gunner to clear his weapon. The door gunner said he was in a hurry to finish the mission and was focused more on what to do next instead of what to do now.

Thankfully, no one got hurt that day, nor was there any damage to the aircraft. However, it served as a wake-up call regarding the dangers of becoming complacent during the last quarter of a deployment. My aircrew learned a valuable lesson that day and we now lend a helping hand to other crews during our missions, even if that means inconveniencing ourselves. I’m certain the other aircrew learned that no matter what pressures are placed upon them, it’s important to always take the time needed to do things right if they’re to accomplish their mission safely.