Risk Management Magazine

When it comes to personal safety and the safety of others, details matter — even the small ones. That is the lesson my fellow Soldiers learned that day. I also learned to never let anyone convince you into dismissing even the most trivial steps in a well-established process.

It was a clear, crisp day in New Hampshire’s White Mountains as we flew visual flight rules in our UH-60A. The pilot in command (PC) and I had departed the Army National Guard Concord Army Aviation Support Facility for some mountain training. The winds were light enough that we practiced mountain approaches to the helipad atop Mount Washington, not far from an observatory.

Between growing up in the Northeast and serving in the military for nearly 20 years, I have quite a bit of experience driving in different weather conditions. I thought I knew everything about operating a vehicle during winter. Nothing, however, could prepare me for high-altitude mountain driving.