Risk Management Magazine

As a National Guard CH-47 company, we are always subject to possible call-up for state and national emergencies or deployments overseas. When Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast, we found ourselves being called on like never before.

As the cotter pin began to yield to the technician's efforts, an unforeseen consequence arose. In the heat of the moment, the technician underestimated the amount of force required to dislodge the pin completely. With a sudden and unexpected release of tension, the cotter pin broke free from its moorings, propelled by the force exerted by the technician.

It was a typical early summer day at Abu Hammad Air Base, Egypt, located in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo. I was assigned as an AH-64A maintenance test pilot (MTP) and adviser to the Apache Technical Assistance Field Team. Despite the challenges of English as a second language for my Egyptian counterparts, I thought I had a good handle on how the local pilots expressed themselves. I was wrong.