Risk Management Magazine

It was a routine mission taking personnel to a camp about 45 minutes away and then returning. Everyone was in good spirits, but after a while, we ran out of things to talk about.

As time goes on, our comfort and confidence with our aircraft inevitably grows, and what used to take intense concentration becomes simple. We all strive to become exceptional pilots, and it is easy for us to fall prey to the vanity of demonstrating our hard-earned skills. However, we must remember the inherent dangers that are easy to forget, which can have deadly consequences.

After returning from the officer basic course, I had my first drill back with my unit. I asked another second lieutenant how annual training went. I wanted to know what prompted my commander’s urgent email. He told me half of the company and the battalion commander were almost killed. This is the story of what happened.