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 in 1988 South Korea inadvertently flew dangerously close to the DMZ (and potentially into North Korea) due to a malfunctioning Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI).
Realizing their navigation error, the pilots performed evasive maneuvers and made an emergency landing at a remote South Korean airstrip due to critically low fuel.
Upon landing, they were confronted by armed Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers who initially mistook them for North Korean infiltrators before their identity was confirmed.
The incident highlighted the unreliability of older navigation technology and the constant dangers near the DMZ, with the faulty HSI later confirmed by another crew experiencing the same issue.

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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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