MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. - “Bird!” A single word shouted in the cockpit of the UH-60L Black Hawk carrying four South Carolina National Guard aviators June 1 as they conducted a routine training mission over Lake Marion. A single word that potentially saved the lives of those onboard just before the feathered foe collided with their aircraft in the air.
The heart-stopping moment allowed the pilot in command, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Henry Wallace, a UH-60 standardization pilot with A Company, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, half a second to initiate a climb, he said.
The bird, later identified as an osprey, struck the windshield of the aircraft on the right side where it remained lodged, creating a grisly scene for the co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brandon Painter, who alerted crew members just before impact.
“There is no real emergency printed for this type of scenario,” Wallace said. “However, our first instinct was to look at the aircraft instruments. I was on the flight controls and as a crew, we determined we still had control.”
Wallace, who was evaluating Painter on low-level combat maneuvers and a mock hurricane response scenario that morning, said crew coordination was paramount to their success in responding to the incident.
“As I flew the aircraft, I had Mr. Painter monitor the instruments and cautions panel for any potential lights. Crew chiefs were busy scanning for nearby landing locations just in case the situation worsened as well as monitored our instruments,” he said.
Ultimately, the crew executed a smooth landing at a small airport approximately 10 minutes away. Wallace attributed the recovery to teamwork and an experienced bond.
“Our particular crew had just returned from a yearlong deployment to Sinai, so our crew mix was superior. We had worked well together and understood each other’s capabilities,” he said.
Army Col. John McElveen, commander of the South Carolina National Guard’s 59th Aviation Troop Command, expressed pride for the aviators’ expertise.
“All our aviators train hard every day in some of the most challenging and realistic environments we can put them in,” said McElveen. “The fact that this crew not only reacted with the utmost care and safety of the entire aircrew and aircraft in mind is a testimony to their professionalism.”
That safety mindset — the idea that the aircrew was doing the right thing before the incident — is one McElveen pointed to as an impressive indicator of the culture in his South Carolina unit.
“They were all wearing their Aviation Life Support Equipment properly. Visor down is one of the most important in this case. If the pilot had not had his visor in the down position, he most likely would have suffered severe injury to his eyes and possibly lost control of the aircraft,” said McElveen. “Aircrews that do the right thing before an accident are always more likely to handle the situation better when something goes wrong.“
After surviving the harrowing ordeal, Wallace’s advice to commanders and senior enlisted members, even those outside of aviation, is to train for real-world scenarios.
“Keep the critical and creative thinking in the process and not only talk about these things in the formations but go out, train, and don’t be afraid to fail,” he said. “That way, when something as simple as a bird strike or something more critical or catastrophic does happen, training takes over and there would be a less stressful environment to respond.”
His last bit of advice: “Return your crew safely.”