Risk Management Magazine

A very dangerous part of the maintenance personnel’s job is the launch and recovery of the Shadow. This incident occurred during the recovery of an aircraft where complacency played a contributing factor and the crew chief was not following the proper procedures.

It was a good training day. We were conducting a command-sponsored train-the-trainer event for M-249/M-240B machine gun qualification tables to show subordinate unit leaders what right looks like. So far, we had executed well and “right” looked pretty good.

One of the most important ways to keep from being involved in an accident is to use a technique called space cushion driving. What’s that, you ask? That means ensuring there is plenty of space around your vehicle while driving.