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bullets started flying. We supported a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) unit full of ground troops. Our job on this day was to load up a bunch of grunts (what we affectionately called any soldier who is not in aviation) in the back of the Blackhawk, f ly a short f light, and let them practice getting on and off the helicopter in rapid fashion. For the pilots, it was an easy flying day.
So, we’d load up about 10 grunts in the back of the Blackhawk, fly around for a short while, drop them off at an offsite location, f ly away from that location, and then come back to pick them up again for a ride back to Tuzla, Bosnia. We’d then load up the next group of eager grunts for the next round-robin.
Even stranger, my copilot for this f light was another lieutenant. But, this lieutenant was a 1LT (just a step above me) with hardly any flight time – a real newbie in the cockpit. Even though I was the lowest ranking pilot in the Blackhawk, I was the experi- enced pilot and the PIC of the flight. I called the shots while flying.
It was a beautiful day in Tuzla and we were having fun with the mission that day. The back doors were slid completely open and the grunts in the back were having a blast as we gave them a fun low-level tour of the area around Tuzla. I’d fly one round robin and then my 1LT cohort would fly one. Everyone was having fun and we were burning fuel – lots of fuel.
The crowd of grunts awaiting a ride in our Blackhawk got less and less as we worked through the hours of flying, and our fuel gauges got lower and lower. Late in the day we saw the last of the grunts climb on board. By this time, the fuel load was low, and we discussed the potential of not having enough fuel to get the mission accomplished. But, there was just one more load of grunts and we would be finished with our mission quickly. It’s such a pain to stop for fuel, right? So, I made the call. I told my crew that we’d be just fine. We’d load up the last of the grunts and take them on an abbreviated flight and come back quickly. And that’s what we did.
So, with two “Fuel Low” caution lights blinking, I departed in the
Blackhawk with two pilots, two crew chiefs, and ten grunts crammed in the back with the doors open on a joy ride. There were 14 souls onboard and I was responsible for everyone’s safety. We
tank. Thirty gallons of fuel is noth- ing in a Blackhawk. The fuel receipt was given to one of the maintenance officers who ratted on me (very appro- priately) to the company commander. Soon the word spread around the en- tire battalion that I landed with so little fuel in the tanks.
The instructor community got in- volved, the command structure got involved, and I ended up being the spotlight testimonial in a “Pilots Call” meeting. Pilots Call is a weekly meet- ing where all the pilots come and talk about safety issues that are facing the aviation unit. Trust me – you do not want to be the testimonial pilot in a Pilots Call.
It was easily one of the more embar- rassing events of my life. I had to stand before every pilot in the task force (around 40 aviators) and explain why I did what I did. And they were right. I placed 14 people in danger that day. A dual engine failure in a Blackhawk is a potentially catastrophic event. It would mean an autorotation to the ground, a maneuver we don’t practice because the only causes of a dual- engine failure would be a well-placed RPG in a wartime scenario or an idiot PIC allowing a fuel exhaustion event. The Army wisely concluded that the risk of a dual engine failure was so low (and the training risk so high) that we didn’t even practice autorota- tions to the ground.
Why did I take off with two blink- ing Fuel Low caution lights? Well, I can’t blame it on being a 2LT. I can blame it on my being zealous to “ac- complish the mission.” As a military
f lew our f light and I sweated blinking lights the whole time.
those
Simply put, there is
no excuse for fuel exhaustion in any properly functioning aircraft today. If you have a fuel exhaustion episode in a properly operating aircraft, it is your fault. Either your planning failed or your decision-making failed.
We finally came back, landed, and everyone thanked us for a nice day of flying. I felt good about it all until about 10 minutes after the flight. After the rotor blades had stopped, my crew came to me and asked, “Is it safe to take off with two blinking Fuel Low caution lights?” Then, the fuelers came to refuel the helicopter and top off the fuel tanks. The sad state of affairs is when I landed that Blackhawk we had less than 15 gallons of fuel in each
Dan Moore Aero LLC
http://danmoore.aero
December 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 5