Risk Management Magazine

As a medevac pilot serving a tour in Iraq, I found myself flying into, around and through some very tight and scary situations. During one of my many flights, I had a “there-I-was” moment.

Aviators need to be willing and able to deviate from any plan when conditions change. My unit conducted a thorough after-action review to discuss the mission and what my pilot and I jokingly referred to as our “traumatic training event.”

“Go-around! Go-around! Go-around!” Those were the words we wished we heard before our stabilator struck the ground. This mishap could have been prevented, and we’re lucky it didn’t cause severe damage to the aircraft or injuries to the crew.