A-10 pilots, controllers provide 'close air support' to stranded civilian aviator

Published March 16, 2010
By Senior Airman Danielle Wolf
442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- The A-10's primary mission is close air support. A mission on March 11 proved it.

A civilian pilot, low on fuel, and inexperienced with instrument flight, was literally lost in the clouds. He was able to make a safe landing after coaching and guidance from 442nd Fighter Wing A-10 pilots flying nearby.

Maj. Steve Nester, a 303rd Fighter Squadron A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot was heading from Whiteman AFB to Springfield, Mo., on a routine training mission when he got word from fellow A-10 pilots Maj. Dax Hayes and Maj. Todd Riddle that a civilian pilot was in trouble.

Switching radio frequencies, he heard Major Hayes talking to the pilot of a Mooney airplane, a single-engine, general aviation aircraft. The pilot wasn't instrument rated, meaning he wasn't qualified to be flying above the clouds. At the time of contact, the civilian aircraft had about an hour's worth of fuel left.

"When I started talking to him, he was pretty worried," Major Hayes said. "He had been on the radio with the controllers at Whiteman who were trying to find good weather for him to land, but there wasn't really good weather anywhere."

It was at that point that Major Hayes assessed the situation by asking the pilot about his plane's instruments and his flying experience.

"He said he only had about one hour of instrument flight time," Major Hayes said. "I'm not sure how he got that high in the first place, but it is possible that he was flying and then the clouds moved in below him."

Major Hayes had also been on a training mission that day, but it was one where he was acting as an instructor, working with Major Riddle in the new A-10 Thunderbolt II C-model aircraft.

"I decided to get Major Nester on the radio too. It made more sense for him to escort the pilot so I could finish my upgrade training, but for awhile, the pilot did have three A-10s flying with him to help," Major Hayes said.

Back at Whiteman, the control tower and the operations group were also working to help the pilot, searching for clear skies and runways in the nearby area. Springfield was determined the best place to land because it had the best weather and offered the best chance to help him down, said Major Nester.

Major Nester and his fellow A-10 pilots and ground controllers worked with the civilian pilot to prepare for the approach and landing. "We practiced descents in the clear skies at about 6,000 to 8,000 feet," he said.

Major Nester was able to give the pilot accurate approach information so he could line up with the runway coordinates from 50 miles out, all while still above the clouds.

"I was trying to stay right there with him, but it was hard because the fastest he could go about 160 knots (about 184 mph) and the slowest an A-10 can go is about 130 knots (about 150 mph)," Major Nester said. "My plan was to stay on his wing, close to him, in case he accidentally turned into the clouds."

Becoming disoriented when flying is extremely common, Major Nester said. Flying not only takes keen instincts, but for those who lack sufficient experience, it can be easy to get off track.

Once he was ready for his first descent, the major realized the pilot would need a little more coaching.

"He was only going about 100 knots and that can be really dangerous," Major Nester said.

The pilot accidentally pulled up while turning and was back above the clouds and no closer to a safe landing.

"I coached him back to the runway, and eventually he got through the clouds. He had to descend through about 3,000 feet of weather, which normally isn't that bad. Eventually he made it to the runway."

With the assistance of the entire A-10 community, the pilot was able to make a safe landing.

"It was really our formation-flying training and situational awareness that made it easier for us to help him down," he said.

Maj. Nester

A-10 community