Astray Into the Zone

God smiles upon fools—and lieutenants.

Samuel Dawson

Friday, June 02, 2023 at 05:33 PM ET

Verified

[Credit: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

A U.S. Army Black Hawk crew flying near the DMZ in 1988 South Korea nearly strayed into North Korean airspace due to a faulty Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) that gave an incorrect heading.
The pilots discovered the error when the lead pilot's HSI contradicted the co-pilot's HSI and the magnetic compass, prompting immediate evasive maneuvers south at low altitude and high speed.
Critically low on fuel, they made an unauthorized landing at a remote South Korean airstrip, where they were initially confronted by armed ROK soldiers who mistook them for North Korean infiltrators.
The same HSI malfunction was later confirmed when senior officers flying the same helicopter experienced the identical failure, leading to a similar emergency landing and validating the initial crew's perilous encounter.

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As a newly minted U.S. Army aviator and UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, being based in the Republic of Korea in 1988 was an ideal first assignment. The cost of living was low, the people were friendly, and the food was great. And then there was the flying. There were few rules in Korea, and as young lieutenants and warrant officers we took advantage and “aired out” our UH-60s often.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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