Analysis of a Helicopter Crash in the Bering Sea
By Lieutenant Commander David R. Neel, U.S. Coast Guard
On 8 December 2004 in Skan Bay, Unalaska, the rescue of eight crewmembers from the cargo ship Selendang Ayu took a turn for the worse. Eighteen had already been rescued, and now my
helicopter, Coast Guard Rescue 6020, an HH-60 from USCG Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, was back on scene from Dutch Harbor to finish the job. We flew in blizzard conditions, working against huge seas. The Aleutian Islands weather could not have been worse. Night was falling.
During the 29th hoist of the day, a rogue wave broke over the bow of the ship. Water surged more than 100 feet skyward, enveloping our hovering HH-60. Ten people were on board: three crew and seven survivors. As the helicopter settled into the frigid ocean water, it rolled over. Four survived, including all of my crew, and were rescued by an HH-65B Dolphin in over-watch position.
Training and equipment made the difference. Without these, chances of surviving a Class A incident in the Bering Sea in December are almost non-existent. Reactions must be instincts, and equipment life-sustaining. We had the knowledge base, and we benefited from the hard lessons learned from previous Alaskan mishaps. Each accident provides insight about established methods.
Current Commandant Aviation Training requirements provide for annual Aircraft Emergency Egress Training, Helicopter Emergency Egress Device System (HEEDS) proficiency, a swim test, and familiarization with emergency survival equipment stored onboard the aircraft. Dunker currency is required once every six years. We needed all of them that night.
Emergency Egress
In fall 2004, HH-60J aircrew standardization and training Petty Officers Dave Ostland and Jahmal Pereira decided to make the annual helicopter egress training more realistic. They used a cushioned aircraft check-stand positioned outside the cockpit door, and pilots practiced the emergency procedure. We exercised the emergency release handle of the cockpit door, allowing removal of the window, and crawled through, "entering the water" by landing on the check-stand. These steps, in conjunction with simulation, seemed a hassle. But I recognized that they should become the norm.
During the crash, I instinctively jettisoned the window. I remember turning the seat harness release and noticing the cockpit window was already gone. When the aircraft began to roll left and submerge my side, I immediately grabbed the window frame (reference point!) and pulled myself out. Because I escaped before complete inversion, I was no longer in danger of being crushed between the aircraft and the ship's side. We all surfaced in a common location, moving toward the surf zone.
Bottled Air
The HEEDS bottle saved the copilot's life. Following protocols, Lieutenant Doug Watson waited, strapped in his seat, until all motion stopped. Inverted, underwater, and in total darkness, he sensed the pressure change, and with common HH-60J community expectations, thought the helicopter was sinking. Maintaining a reference point, he attempted to open the cockpit door. He was unsuccessful and realized he needed the bottle.
After several attempts to initiate use of the HEEDS, alternating with attempts to open the door, he finally succeeded in breathing with the device. It was later suspected that his helmet mike boom and/or clear visor prevented him from properly placing the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, training does not emphasize this scenario.
Once Lieutenant Watson started breathing, he calmed down and was able to clear his head. With the cockpit full of water, he easily found the door handle, opened his door, released his seat harness, and got out. Neither the flight mechanic, Aviation Maintenance Technician 2 (AMT2) Brian Lickfield, nor I had to use the bottle. Aviation survival technicians are in charge of this training at most air stations and willing to give training to ensure aircrew are comfortable with this lifesaving device.
Since this incident, the Coast Guard has acquired the new SAR Warrior Survival Vest, featuring a more accessible placement of the breathing tube and mouthpiece, as well as other improvements.
Wet Drills
Coast Guard wet drills are fairly homogenous, with a swim test, treading water, and manual vest inflation drills. At Kodiak, we also had a test of the Aircrew Dry Coveralls (ADCs) that helicopter aircrews wear for every flight, year round. Pilots and crew don suits and jump off the base pier into the frigid waters of Woman's Bay. They check for leaks, noting the insulating properties of the liner. Neoprene gloves and surf hat protect hands and head. Only the face feels the icy water.
The ADC gave our crew the ability to survive after the crash and bought us time for rescue. In 38 degree water temperatures, hypothermia tables indicate loss of dexterity in 2 to 3 minutes, and loss of consciousness in less than 15. The suit could have sustained us for some time, but fortunately the HH-65B was there.
Survival Equipment
We were wearing the standard gear for Coast Guard flight personnel: Gentex Corporation's SPH-5 CG helmet with reflective tape, nomex flight gloves, and survival vest. The reflective tape, and strips on the life-preserver bladders, was particularly useful in providing a visible target for the rescue crew. At night in turbulent waters, the tape may have been the only thing that allowed them to key in on our position.
The nomex gloves gave little protection, and the neoprene gloves were inaccessible (more on this below). Water sloshed through my helmet. My neck seal held up and kept the rest of my body dry.
AMT2 Lickfield later said the Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting System had illuminated as designed, outlining the cabin door and exits. Installed in the aircraft were a life-raft and four Gumby wetsuits, but the accident happened so quickly that no one had the presence of mind to grab them. This is another process not reinforced during training.
Recommendations for Improvement
My first hoist in a basket was in this real-life survival situation. Another first was my ride in an HH-65. Providing a one-time familiarization hoist for pilots would help them understand survivors' perspective, as well as train for ditching extraction.
In units with more than one type of airframe, cross-pollination equipment familiarization could be included in training. This would be a simple overview of the safety and survival equipment carried on board, how it is operated if different from their own, and egress procedures. This knowledge may already be prevalent in enlisted aircrews who switch airframes often, but is rare for pilots.
Aircrews need formal sea survivability training like that offered at the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, in Astoria, Oregon. This includes being deployed ten miles offshore (out of sight of land), alone, with only a personal survival raft. After some time in the raft, the member is "rescued" and extracted by an HH-60J from Air Station Astoria.
Checklists make our procedures successful. When we are launched or diverted to a location for SAR, the last known position of the distress is given. Often this is not the actual location once on-scene. Position reporting is conducted every 15 minutes in helicopters, for aircrew safety.
On-scene, the actual location is given. There is no requirement to provide a position of vessels or persons in distress at the time of discovery, nor to indicate that hoist operations have begun in a specific location. These calls should be required in rescue checklists, as they could provide critical information.
Enhance Equipment
The ADC was essential. In 2004-05, most personnel had a fitted, fluorescent orange, Amron Model 460 Constant Wear Dry Suit, with glove storage on the forearms and plentiful pockets for personal survival gear. Air Station Kodiak still had a few of the older blue suits, issued as spares. I was wearing one during the accident, because my orange suit had been sent off for repairs (neck seals ripped frequently).
Aside from the glaringly obvious deficiency in color, the blue ADC had just two external pockets in the calf region. This positioning made the neoprene surf hat and gloves inaccessible, especially while struggling in the marine environment. And because storage was insufficient in these two pockets, some members did not carry the hat and gloves, choosing items they felt to be more vital.
The blue suit met the minimum requirements for low water temperatures. But it did not maximize potential for success in a survival situation. The Model 460 orange ADC should be standard, and the blue suit removed immediately from inventory (if it has not been already). The newer SWITLICK company anti-exposure suits appear to have the same pocket problems as did the blue suits.
Finally, a low-light visor for flight helmets should be standard. Gentex manufactures a high-contrast visor designed for use with either the SPH-5CG or HGU-56/P helmets that the Coast Guard uses. In the low light of the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan inclement weather, amber lenses provide a useful tool.
Institutional training and quality equipment gave our aircrew the edge. We will always be grateful to the instructors who made sure we learned correctly, to those who ensured we had the best equipment available, and to the institution that values its people enough to mandate a curriculum that saves lives. Semper Paratus.
Lieutenant Commander Neel was stationed In Kodiak, Alaska, from 2002 to 2005, as an HH-60J instructor pilot. He then finished graduate school at the National Defense Intelligence College and now serves as the Deputy Analysis Branch Chief for the Coast Guard's Pacific Area Intelligence Division. He and his crew received Air Medals for participation in rescuing 18 people from the Selendang Ayu.
Alternative LHD-1 Class Warship Missions
By Captain Joseph Sensi, Captain Peter Pagano, Commander Ansel Hills, Commander Carlos Guzman, Commander David Conner, Commander Kevin Henderson, Commander Eric Sherck, Commander Jeffrey Connor, and Commander Jason Vogt, U.S. Navy
The abilities of the Wasp (LHD-1)class amphibious assault ships are mature, fully supported, and in many cases better than any other class of warship afloat. But the ship is not used as fully as it could be. We already have the necessary manning and staff functions to broaden options available to the Fleet commander, while at the same time shortening response times to emergencies and surge operations. Alternative mission force packages are the key, with designated supporting assets (aviation, water craft, or vehicle).
The LHD-1 was designed for amphibious assault, meaning it can embark and support the expeditionary strike group commander or commander amphibious task force, tactical air control assets, VSTOL aircraft, helicopters, landing craft (LCAC or LCU), and a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU)-size landing force of personnel and associated equipment.
But when the MEU and associated gear are not embarked, or when the LHD is in a "ready surge" status with no MEU assigned, the ship's many capabilities could and should be used to support a growing number of non-traditional missions. Recently we have seen examples of the need for these in events such as Hurricane Katrina and tsunamis.
Combatant commanders and task group commanders desire an afloat forward staging base, but what should it carry and be able to accomplish? Some recent LHA/ LHD surge deployments in response to emergency situations (Hurricane Katrina and Indian Ocean Tsunami Humanitarian Assistance-Disaster Relief, for example) and the 2007 LHD-1 surge deployment to deliver MV-22 aircraft to Iraq have occurred with minimum embarked assets and did not optimize the capabilities of the ship, perhaps due to a lack of predetermined force packages.
LHD-1 Capabilities
The ship incorporates the following technologies and abilities:
* Command and Control: Air and surface radar, contact tracking and management, radio and digital voice + data communications paths, embarked metrological support detachment and system(s).
* Aviation Support: Air traffic control center capable of controlling a myriad of aviation assets (helo, Harrier, and Osprey plus Army, Air Force, and Coalition), hangar bay and flight deck with full maintenance facilities.
* Small Surface Water Craft, Land Vehicle Support: well deck and internal hangar bays for repair, refueling and storage of waterborne small craft and land vehicles of all types.
* Logistics, Medical and Religious Support: Repair parts and food stowage and production, laundry, and berthing. Medical facilities afloat second only to a hospital ship (Comfort or Mercy) with five operating rooms, dental facilities, and embarked chaplain(s).
Recommended Force Packages
Using the above capabilities, here are the missions that would be feasible by adding the gear and personnel specified. Some could be combined.
* Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR): able to move via air, land, and sea; package would consist of heavy-, medium-, and light-lift helicopters; landing craft; beach group assets; trucks; bulldozers; ambulances; Seabee construction unit; food and water supplies. All these would be coupled with the sustainable major hospital capability as well as communications and command and control at the scene of the disaster. Berthing and messing facilities could house and feed personnel (civilian and military) charged with disaster recovery efforts.
* Maritime Security Operations (MSO)/ Counter-Piracy/ Surveillance: incorporate helicopters (armed and unarmed), perhaps V-22 Ospreys (this is a future asset: it is currently not outfitted or equipped for the mission) and unmanned aerial vehicles in a layered surveillance role in support of Fleet objectives and/or deployed strike group. The package would include manning, aviation and small craft (armed 11m RHIBs, for example) assets. Additional requirements for personnel in command and control positions, intelligence gathering and execution of MSO mission set (boarding teams for both compliant and non-compliant boarding) would be required to fully support MSO and counter-piracy options.
* Strike Support/Counter-Terrorism: develop AV-8 Harrier (and possible expansion into JSF vertical takeoff aircraft) packages for use in limited strike role over the beach, either in support of ground operations or in counter-terrorism strikes. The "Harrier carrier" has been used before. Should the Navy get into the VSTOL business? For optimum support of several missions, the combatant commander could combine MSO/counterpiracy/surveillance with strike support and counter-terrorism.
* Afloat Staging Base: use embarked senior technicians and possibly an embarkable repair capability in areas of C5I, HM&E and avionics/aviation. Deploy in support of forward stationed assets, both surface and aviation. This would also aide and upgrade existing medical and dental care of deployed assets.
* Maritime Operations Center Forward Command: several command and control spaces could be added to the robust C5I architecture. Also, the ability to use aviation assets to move personnel and gear would support the Maritime Operations Center from the Fleet commander if primary facilities ashore were lost.
* OPLAT Defense/Patrol Craft/Mine Countermeasures Support: multi-layered short range missile systems through machineguns make the LHD well suited for defense from small boat and low slow flyer attack. The LHD could refuel and replenish stores for smaller surface water craft, as well as land, refuel, and maintain mine-hunting helicopters. The well deck could be used for small patrol boats, large RHIBS, or 50ft craft. Command and control spaces and a communications suite would fully support MCMRON staff for the mine clearance mission, as is routinely done in the PANAMAX exercise series. The LHD could also house and execute explosive ordnance disposal detachment operations.
It is our hope that these proposals, based on real-world operations, will open a dialogue on what personnel and equipment such force packages should contain.
The authors served in the wardroom of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3): Captain Sensi, commanding officer; Captain Pagano, executive officer; Commander Guzman, command and control, computers, communications and combat systems and information (C5I); Commander Hills, prospective C5I; Commander Conner, aviation intermediate maintenance department (AIMD); Commander Henderson, supply officer; Commander Sherck, senior medical officer; Commander Connor, air boss; and Commander Vogt, operations officer.
How to Prepare for IA Deployment
By Commander Diane Boettcher, U.S. Navy Reserve
With the Navy engaged in a long effort against global terrorism, individual augmentees (IAs) are coming from our active and Reserve components in ever-increasing numbers. Short-notice orders to a landlocked country are becoming commonplace in our active-duty commands. For Reserves the likelihood of receiving mobilization orders is high, because the military needs our critical skills. Sailors are answering this call to duty every day, at home and in dangerous, faraway places.
This type of deployment represents a significant culture shift for our Navy. We and our families have grown accustomed to predictable unit deployments. The following recommendations are based on my own recent experience. I offer them to help other IAs get and give the most during their deployments, having learned these lessons the hard way and wishing someone had told me.
* Be Helpful, Not Just Right: When you're the new guy in the unit, it's natural to want to help improve and serve the mission. But keep in mind that things are the way they are for a reason. Bring helpful suggestions in a manner that can be heard. It's not enough to be right about a better way. You must help effect the change that you're recommending.
* Leverage Experience-Carefully: Your extensive background may be relevant and should be used. However, you're no longer a civilian at the moment, and the lessons you've learned may not work well in a military context. Think about what you may be able to use, but don't assume everything will translate. Similarly, activeduty IAs should bring particular service experiences to bear while keeping in mind that you're not on a ship anymore.
* Keep the Family Close: If you're a Reservist, this may be your family's first experience with the active-duty military. If you're active duty, your family isn't accustomed to deploying without the support structure of an entire ship or squadron. Make sure they have the tools necessary to handle the problems that will inevitably arise.
The jargon that we take for granted can be overwhelming, particularly when compounded by Army or Joint acronyms. The Army's FSG (Family Support Group), the Reserve Center's ombudsman, or your home unit's ombudsman can all be helpful. These units may be miles from home, so be certain your family knows how to reach them. And-within Operations Security constraints, of course-share with your family information about your new unit commanding officer or senior enlisted leader. Be sure that your new command knows where your family is. If they're not staying at your home of record, let your administrative section know where they are. Update your Record of Emergency Data (NAVPERS 1070/602, also known as your Page 2).
* Write a Journal: Whether you do this on your computer or in a notebook, record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This deployment is a unique experience on which you and/or your children will want to reflect. A journal can be a good outlet for the frustrations and challenges that you'll face.
* Stay in Contact: Hopefully your employer or command is supportive of your deployment and will be happy to hear from you and know how you're doing. In any case, knowing that you're still interested in what's going on back at home assures people that you will be returning. Consider sending small gifts for your team in the rear.
* Have Goals: Take the time to reflect on what you want to accomplish in the next year or months. Write down your objectives and review them periodically. Include some professional plans, along with personal goals. Your mobilization may be a great time to get into better physical shape, for example, or do some more professional reading or take an online course. Try to learn something every day.
* Take Care of Shipmates: Reach out to and mentor other IAs in your area. If you're a Reservist, you've already made a successful transition and can mentor active-duty personnel who are now approaching transition into the civilian workforce.
* Study the Mission: We are operating in a complex and dynamic environment. You are likely to be working for or with Army leaders, so explore how that service is organized and operates. Service cultures have many similarities but also some significant differences. Also, you need to do some homework to understand the current world situation, and the strategic and political background of the area you're in. Take advantage of the many resources available to help you, particularly if you're preparing to deploy forward. A focused study of the region will be invaluable. If you learn about the culture and history of people with whom you may be working, you will be a more effective Sailor.
* Stay Fit: Most IAs will support ground force missions in tough and demanding environments. You need to be in shape, as well as knowledgeable in the basic skills of marksmanship and first aid. By the time you really need these skills, if you don't already have them it will be too late. Take it as a challenge. The experience will make you a better leader and may even save your life.
* Laugh: Your deployment can be an exciting and rewarding time, but it will also come with challenges. Keep your perspective and sense of humor. Enjoy yourself. Individual augmentation is now a common experience in every Navy career.
This time shouldn't be a diversion, but rather a challenge to widen your experience and make you a better Sailor in the future force. You have a critical role to play in the joint effort against terrorism. With your unique perspective and skills, you will contribute to a vital mission. If you prepare properly, your tour will be enhanced, both for you and for your unit.
Commander Boeftcher recently completed a one-year mobilization at Joint Forces Command, including a deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan. She is in her third command tour, commanding a Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Reserve Unit (NR SPAWAR 303). In her civilian career, she is the Director of Knowledge Management for SRA, International.