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Just Another Day At The Office


Subdeacon Joe

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https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/11/12/no-wheels-no-canopy-no-problem-a-10-pilot-who-pulled-off-daring-landing-receives-distinguished-flying-cross/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+AIR&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR2GkGXhzSUc5o_jbrDgECsC6AaHe9uzFbGDR7uIFcZ7rUnZIHqAE5GTyXU

 

DeVries struggled to control the aircraft and get to a higher altitude. He lowered the seat as far as it would go to try to get some protection from the wind that was buffeting his head around and get a grasp on the situation.

DeVries needed help, fast. His wingman Vickers didn’t see his canopy blow off, but he did see a “donut of gas” from the gun envelope the plane. When Vickers saw DeVries start to rapidly climb, he realized something was wrong and flew over to assess the damage from beneath.

play_circle_filledCapt. Brett DeVries, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot of the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, poses next to the aircraft he safely landed after a malfunction forced him to make an emergency landing July 20, 2017, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. (Air National Guard)
Air Force captain lands A-10 with no canopy, no gear

A misfire from the Warthog's 30mm gun enveloped the A-10 in smoke, blew the canopy off during training flight

Tara Copp

It became clear the situation was even worse than DeVries knew: The blown canopy had damaged the bottom of the plane as well.

DeVries couldn’t even open up his emergency checklist because he was afraid its paper would get blown away and perhaps sucked into an engine.

 

Vickers and DeVries began to fly back to the base and brainstormed what his options were. DeVries had no idea if the misfiring gun had also damaged his ejection seat, and if it would still work if he tried to bail out.

DeVries tried to lower the landing gear while Vickers watched, but the wingman warned him the nose wheel was hung up due to the damage caused by the gun and it could not lower completely.

DeVries had no choice but to try to land the plane on its belly without landing gear or a canopy. DeVries and Vickers talked through the various ways the highly risky landing could unfold on their way back to base, while also consulting with A-10 maintainers patched in on speakerphones.

DeVries approached the runway shallow and slow, with Vickers guiding him in, and landed in the center 25 minutes after his gun misfired. DeVries was able to safely exit the plane on his own after it skidded in on its belly, and even posed for a photograph next to it afterward.

 

The entire 127th Wing at Selfridge was standing behind DeVries that day, Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Rolf Mammen said at the ceremony.

“Maj. DeVries truly put service before self and demonstrated a level of airmanship to which we should all aspire,” Mammen said. “As a commander, I cannot tell you how proud I am of Maj. DeVries and our entire 127th Wing.”

 

 

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They will need to find out what caused the malfunction, and if it was other than a "random incident" (of which there ain't no such thing!), if there needs to be a fix engineered and a TCTO issued for any modifications!  Great job of piloting, Capt. DeVries!  (Side note...I wonder if it is possible to do a "P-38 bailout"...slow the aircraft as much as possible, unfasten your seatbelt, roll inverted and let go.  Don't know if you could clear the engines, though... :unsure:  Anyway, great job!

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