Risk Management Magazine

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.

Suddenly, the FLA’s right-front end collapsed and the wheel disconnected from the hub assembly. The vehicle barreled through the wire fencing on the roadside at about 35 mph and skidded nearly 200 meters before coming to a stop.