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| News > Commentary - High tech, low level, close call |
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High tech, low level, close call
Posted 1/26/2011
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Commentary by Lt. Col. Anthony Carr, commander
14th Airlift Squadron
1/26/2011 - JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) -- There I was -- flying a mighty C-17 Globemaster III at 400 MPH, 500 feet above a canyon floor in the Colorado backcountry. It doesn't get any more awesome than that. Mountains rose up on both sides of our flight path as we hid our aircraft from a simulated adversary among the high terrain. My crew was highly experienced, and we were executing well.
About halfway through our low-level route, we caught sight of a canyon perfectly suited for terrain masking. It wasn't on our planned route of flight, but after a brief discussion, we decided to deviate from our plan and seize on this valuable training opportunity. While we hadn't studied the area in-depth, we knew the advanced terrain awareness system of our C-17 would keep us safe.
We knew it, but we were wrong. The terrain mapped on our cockpit displays did not match the reality we were seeing with our eyes as it flew by at 7 miles per minute. The displays were inaccurate. Instead of an escape alley at the end of the canyon, we found ourselves staring at a sheer cliff wall. We were too low, too fast and rapidly running out of time. Training was over. We were suddenly in a fight for survival. Luckily, we executed a recovery maneuver and cleared the cliff wall by a few hundred feet, but we had clearly placed our aircraft and ourselves in a bad position.
Safety had been compromised. What had led a high-performing crew to the brink of catastrophe? In this case, an inappropriate reliance on technology. We did something we hadn't planned to do, believing that technology made that planning unnecessary. This was a near-fatal miscalculation.
Modern life is a daily exhibition of amazing technology, especially here at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. We operate an aircraft that showcases cutting-edge capabilities, and we use advanced digital tools and processes to maintain and support our weapon system. This is both a blessing and a curse; with advanced technology comes increased capability, but safe mission execution still relies on a grasp of the timeless requirement to plan and prepare carefully. These actions are most important when the operating environment is most dynamic.
The hazards of technology over-reliance are not limited to the flying mission. They happen in everyday life. Consider, for instance, the use of GPS. These time-saving devices allow us to hop in our cars and go just about anywhere with little, or no forethought. All we need is an address, and away we go. This grants us unprecedented flexibility in how we carry out our lives -- we can reorient instantly to a new activity without having to stop and replan. But such flexibility can introduce unique dangers, especially when driving in areas where we lack familiarity and don't understand the traffic patterns.
Problems are compounded when something takes us off the primary route we intended to drive. Maybe the road is under construction, or an accident blocks traffic; maybe the address is inaccurate or the GPS maps are outdated; maybe weather or terrain disrupt GPS reception. Each of these possibilities can happen without warning and without any planning to fall back upon, can quickly compromise safety. Driving in an unfamiliar area, disoriented and feeling the stress of being lost and running late, can create rushed or otherwise bad decisions. A few bad decisions in sequence can lead to a catastrophic auto accident, or an unplanned detour into an unsafe area. Carrying a traditional road atlas and spending 10 minutes prior to departure getting familiar with the destination area are ways to mitigate this type of hazard. In other words, planning and preparation are the keys to safe execution, whether traveling at 40 mph or 400.
I began this "war story" with there I was, but a more appropriate tagline would be "there I almost wasn't." Technology enhances our capability, but it can also be seductive. It can lead us to believe that the basics can be set aside; they can't. From this incident, I adopted a new rule of thumb: plan as you intend to fly and then fly your plan. If you didn't plan it, don't do it. This rule helps me strike the right balance between flexible execution using technology and the need for genuine preparation and premission study. In simple terms, the more we're willing to sweat in planning, the less likely we are to bleed in execution.
Thanks for all you do every day to safely execute our demanding mission -- please continue to study hard, plan well, and fly safe!
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