It was late November 1967 as I stepped off the plane and on to the tarmac at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. I was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Replacement Battalion as a combat infantryman. While still on the tarmac, we were greeted by a sergeant who formed us into a loose formation and then commanded “at ease.” He was about to give us new guys a short speech.
“Welcome to Vietnam, gentlemen,” he said. He was dead serious as he continued: “I’m telling you right now that not all of you will be returning to the States.”
I was slightly shocked – I expected something like “Thanks for coming because we can sure use the help.” He uttered no such words as he continued, “In the next week you will begin Jungle School, which helps to prepare you for a year in the jungles of Vietnam. You must pay careful attention as you learn from those of us who have been through it before you. Never, I repeat NEVER, get too comfortable, for if you let your guard down you will regret it, I promise you. Over here, complacency kills.”
I never forgot those words. Fortunately I did survive. Sadly some others did not.
Twenty plus years after I became a pilot, I am ashamed to admit that I became complacent while in the pattern and it could have been serious. I write these words in hopes that other pilots, including seasoned, experienced pilots like me, will heed the warning.
My story begins on a beautiful VFR summer morning at my home airport where I and two other pilot friends — each flying our own planes — decided to fly about 100 miles to an airport with a nearby restaurant that specializes in $100 hamburgers. I was the lead plane and the others followed. We had all flown to this airport many times before and it was tower controlled Class D airspace. This airport is usually not very busy, but as we switched from chatting on the pilot talk channel to the tower frequency at 25 miles out, we soon discovered that there were as many as 10 other planes aloft in the airport area.
I called the tower at 10 miles out and stated my intention to land. As expected, the tower directed me to join a midfield right downwind for Runway 26 and report upon entry. Shortly thereafter my two friends also reported in. We noticed that the controller seemed somewhat stressed with all the traffic. He lost track of one of my friend’s call sign and position as he dealt with all the traffic.
I was very nearly at my reporting point when tower asked “Cessna 34 Hotel” for a position report. I then realized that he was mistaken and told tower that I was “Piper Warrior 34 Hotel” and I was at midfield joining a right downwind for Runway 26. Tower replied that I was following another aircraft and described it, to which I responded “Looking.” After a short while as I continued on downwind I saw a plane on a 1/2 mile final for Runway 26 and reported the traffic in sight. Tower responded “Warrior 34 Hotel, cleared to land number two Runway 26.”
I repeated and watched the plane now on final land as I finished the downwind leg. I’m number two and I have already been cleared to land I told myself as I reached the 45° mark and turned base. I was completely comfortable as I have flown a right hand pattern in Class D airspace hundreds of times before.
Complacency is insidious. It creeps in disguised as routine. “Been there, done that and I know how this will come out because I have done it so many times before.” That is the complacency trap and I was going to be the next one caught….
As I turned base to final, I either did not look for other planes on final or I have no memory of looking for traffic on final as I do each and every time at other airports.
Why did I not look? This is a poor excuse, but I learned to fly and flew for eight years at our state’s second busiest airport (in terms of takeoffs and landings) and that was Class D airspace.
However, that Class D airspace had radar and provided separation services. The Class D tower at this airport had only a pair of binoculars and no duty to provide separation services whatsoever. I failed to focus on that difference at the time and it could have caused a near miss or worse.
As soon as I turned final (I was about a half mile from the numbers), another pilot on a one mile final called tower and complained that another plane cut in line in front of him on final. “That’s me, Warrior 34 Hotel, and I’m now on the go around” I said to tower and the landing pilot. Tower barked “I told you that you were number two for landing” to which I replied, “but I saw the other plane on short final land.”
I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I flew the go around and a great sense of disgust with myself. I had become complacent, dropped my guard and it could have cost me and the other pilot who was apparently on an elongated final. We all landed without incident, as did my two pilot friends.
At lunch my companions tried to comfort me, saying the controller seemed to be in over his head and should have told me that I was number three for landing.
“Even so, I failed to see the other plane on final when I turned final,” I said.
It is true that the controller apparently failed to realize that the previous plane had not landed yet, making me number three for landing, but the final responsibility to thoroughly check for traffic before I turned final was mine.
Regardless of your experience level, please do not fall into the complacency trap – don’t get too comfortable. Use your checklists, think clearly, and stay ahead of your aircraft. We must do the basics, like checking for traffic on final, each and every time.
I intend this to be as abrupt as possible: Complacency can kill, as true today as it was in 1967.
Student getting ready for his CFI initial here in a couple weeks. Thank you for the story, and helping remind me why things like this should be stressed on my checkride and, much more importantly, to my future students.
Thank you for your service
Unfortunately these things happen in the pattern at a towered airport. One thing that can be done is to add a qualifier. I.e. the pilot could say traffic in sight ‘on short final’. That will hopefully help to assure that the controller and pilot are referring to the same aircraft.
Warren, That is a great suggestion and would have likely avoided the confusion. Thanks for the comment and if I am ever in that situation again that is exactly what I will do. Of course, I will also search intently for planes on final.
First and foremost, thank you for your service.
I have been flying into Oshkosh for the convention since 1982. Always arriving from the south and, arriving early, the convention arrival procedures were not in effect. When landing 09, the tower instructions were always the same, “…right base for 09….”. One year, I changed my arrival to a westerly arrival and received a “report short final for runway 09” from the tower. Complacency kicked in. As you say, it was routine. I’ve done this many times. I flew a right base for 18. After turning final, my mind started analyzing the visual picture. The picture was wrong. Initially, my mind was confused but shortly reoriented itself. After advising the tower I had over shot 09, I was instructed to fly a left base for 09. At this point my mind was fully operational and the balance of the landing was uneventful. I was lucky and thankfully, the pattern was not busy. I too, was disgusted with myself. Lesson learned.
I have the exact same plane as you. Even the color. Also thank you for your service and our freedoms!
I have been in the same situation and you were then. One of the problems is some people act like they’re flying a 737 and are so far out that you can’t see them if you tried. The traffic pattern I did not think was supposed to be as wide as you want to fly. My instructor taught me to fly tight pattern as if something could happen and I lose power and I would have enough energy to glide in for a landing. He taught me not to fly pattern like I was in a 737. I turned for final and cut one or two people off who were so far out I couldn’t see them and I did call out my position and my intentions and heard nothing until after I was landing and they said I cut them off. The regulations do say that the person who is closest to the runway has the right of way but I’m sure that in a non-towered airport but regardless, don’t beat yourself up too much because you learned the right way and other people have learned the wrong way.
Excellent reminder – I caught myself ready to taxi onto the active runway at my airport without first making sure no one was landing because there was no traffic on the CTAF. Luckily, I caught myself, stopped and made sure final was clear, then cursed myself for being so complacent.
Also, thank you for your service Loran!