Fix, Fly, Fight HSM-51 Warlord ELVA and Smokelight Approach By LT Corey Bowes, USN, HSM-51 Warlords, Atsugi, Japan
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n July 31, 2023, at approximately 1600, Warlord 04, an MH-60R part of the embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) detachment, launched from USS John Finn (DDG 113) to conduct routine surface surveillance operations in the northern Sea of Japan. There were no diverts and no suitable landing sites within the fuel range of the helicopter. Myself along with LCDR Aric “Boogie” McGee, the detachment’s Officer in Charge, and AWR2 Alecsander Donlevy, the detachment’s lead Aircrewman, were the aircrew on board. While conducting surface surveillance collection (SSC) at an altitude of 5,000 feet, we maneuvered ahead of the ship approximately 75 nautical miles. At 1815 a solid layer of clouds were observed quickly developing well below the aircraft. At the current altitude it was difficult to assess the height of the layer. Our initial estimation was that the cloud tops were forming between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. We decided to descend to verify the actual altitude. Passing through 2,000 feet, the clouds were still well below us which brought some discomfort amongst the crew. At 500 feet we were still above what was now a solid cloud layer. We could no longer see the surface of the ocean below the helicopter. Our standard operating procedure (SOP) for weather minimums during shipboard operations is 500 feet and one nautical mile visibility. At this point we made the decision to abort the mission and turn back to the ship. Warlord 04 on approach
Upon querying the ship for a weather update we were notified the ship was also experiencing reduced visibility with deteriorating weather conditions. Ceilings were assessed to be at 200 feet AGL with diminishing visibility at that time. Pushing Warlord 04 at our buster airspeed, we started closing the ship which was now at a distance of approximately 45NM. At 1835 we were overhead the ship and they assessed ceilings at 100 feet at this point. In the aircraft we were still VFR on top and could visually see the ship’s mast peeking from the top of the cloud layer. In the time it took for our aircraft and the ship to set up for an approach, the cloud layer had risen upwards to 400 feet. We began to set up for a normal TACAN approach. This approach brings the aircraft down to 200 feet and ½ mile behind the ship but we suspected it would be unlikely that we would break out. This is our normal shipboard approach we fly everyday which would verify the bottom of the clouds from a familiar profile and glideslope. We were unable to break out and visually acquire the ship resulting in a wave off and reset. We decided to climb above the cloud layer to regain visual reference to the horizon which was now steady at approximately 400 feet and re-cage ourselves.
Rotor Review #163 Winter '24
On climb out, we requested RADAR guided emergency low visibility approach (ELVA). This approach brings the aircraft down to 50 feet and 100 yards astern of the ship. The ELVA approach is similar to a precision approach RADAR (PAR) but less accurate due to the less precise shipboard equipment used by the Anti-Submarine Warfare Tactical Air Controller (ASTAC) to control the aircraft. Part of the predeployment ship-air training is to complete multiple practice ELVA approaches to ensure the crew and the ship are familiar with the procedure. Regularly trained to, but rarely used operationally, the request for an ELVA alerted the watchstanders onboard the ship to the severity of the situation. The ASTAC was primed and ready to execute the ELVA approach. The bridge was now reporting that they were fully engulfed in a surface layer fog with horizontal visibility of approximately 100 feet. A “pocket” of better visibility was observed by the ship’s bridge team and recommended the first ELVA be flown from the starboard rear quarter. We were unable to break out and executed yet another missed approach. Once again, we climbed out of the clouds to re-cage and set up for another approach, now knowing that the fog layer was down to the surface of the ocean.
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