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Snow and ice — while not an uncommon forecast to receive depending on the season and operational environment, it contributes an additional layer of planning and tasks for aviators, maintainers and operations personnel. While deployed, this forecast is taken heavily into consideration, as it is a requirement to maintain mission-capable aircraft. Additionally, medevac crews are still required to meet a standard operating procedure (SOP)-driven 15-minute launch timeframe, depending on the patient category. Without tools or additional resources, the only way to guarantee a clean, ice-free, mission-ready aircraft is to put it to bed in a climate-controlled clamshell hangar. Although a simple task, it is one more chore added to an already-packed duty day for flight crews and maintainers. Typically, it is also the final task standing between Soldiers and their beds.

On yet another dark night with rain, snow and icing in the forecast, a crew of aviators and maintainers assembled to tug a UH-60 into a hangar. The crew consisted of four blade walkers, a certified tug driver, a Soldier to operate the aircraft brakes, and another Soldier to open and close the clamshell door. All had received training on the task and were familiar with the proper standards and procedures. As they prepared to conduct this routine task, complacency and urgency to finish the duty day had already set in.

While securing the aircraft into the clamshell, the team failed to clear the door, causing one of the main rotor blades to strike it. This incident led to a Commander’s Critical Incident Requirement, one downed aircraft, and an investigation and additional work for all parties involved. Fortunately, an inspection of the blade determined it to be serviceable and undamaged. The clamshell door was also found to be functional and free of damage.

This incident highlighted how complacency, inattention and a rush to complete a task can contribute to a loss of combat power and negatively impact unit morale. An investigation into the mishap revealed the Soldiers involved failed to apply and enforce standards, specifically:

• The tug operator, the senior member on the team, was focused solely on tailwheel positioning and did not monitor the other Soldiers to ensure they were in the correct position to clear the aircraft.
• One of the Soldiers walking with the blades was listening to music through headphones.
• The Soldier operating the aircraft brakes had a delayed reaction time because he was not seated in the appropriate position to activate the brakes.
• A Soldier called out that the aircraft was not clear of the clamshell door but did not have access to a rope to move the blade out of the way. The other Soldiers did not hear the callout.

Additional contributing factors included a lack of supplemental lighting and loud white noise coming from the clamshell door motor and auxiliary generators. These events were links in the mishap chain that could have resulted in degraded mission capability. The most significant finding, however, was the failure to enforce standards and make on-the-spot corrections for actions known to be unsafe or wrong. Any of the Soldiers could have corrected the tug operator, who was driving too fast; the blade walkers, who were improperly positioned; the Soldier that was not in position to operate the aircraft brakes; or even the Soldier listening to music while performing a critical task.

All of these Soldiers were retrained on the proper procedures to tug an aircraft into a clamshell hangar. Additional emphasis was placed on the fact that safety is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of rank, and on-the-spot corrections must be made for any identified safety violations. The Soldiers were also required to wear head lamps when tugging an aircraft during hours of limited visibility, as well as issued whistles to alert of hazards in high-noise areas, to prevent a similar mishap from occurring. Thanks to this training, standards for aircraft movement were enhanced to help combat complacency, resulting in a safer work environment for all Soldiers on the airfield.