By Capt. Will Moore
ow does complacency fit in with naval aviation? Not very well, but it’s with us on every sortie or maintenance evolution, whether you want to acknowledge it or not. Although complacency is not as clearly understood as, say, hypoxia or GLOC, it is a causal factor, which, singularly or in concert with deviation and overconfidence, can lead to a mishap. I used the safety triangle as my cornerstone in my “Command Safety Philosophy” policy during my CO tour in the training command. Complacency is: 1. Satisfaction or contentment: gratification.
May-June 2008
2. Smug self-satisfaction. Here are two examples that highlight how complacency is associated with naval aviation. In the first scenario, a close friend of mine was on a T-34C flight with the “superstar SNA,” and everyone was fat, dumb and happy. They were doing a high-altitude, power-loss maneuver. The SNA was high at high key and initiated a slip (wing down top rudder) to dissipate excess altitude. As they approached the 90-degree position, the SNA noted he still was high, so he kept in the slip. Suddenly, a bird filled the SNA’s windscreen. What did the superstar SNA do next? He pulled back on the stick. What happens to your stall speed when out of balanced flight? It increases. His aircraft departed controlled flight at 800 feet over the mud flats. As the IP was hanging upside down—getting the “Update Your Page Two” caution light—he knew out-of-control-flight procedures do not work below 5,000 feet, but he did recall the need to add maximum power. He firewalled the engine. At 200 feet, he rolled the aircraft upright and regained 5
