HU-25 Falcon Jet

Air Station Miami: Recently, in a simulated drill, a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon Jet with five crewmembers aboard collided in midair with a Coast Guard Auxiliary twin-engine aircraft with two passengers aboard over the Western Bahamas.

How could something like this have happened? Fortunately, it was a mishap drill named "Operation Cay Sal" between Coast Guard Air Station Miami and the Auxiliary to test mishap planning.

The scenario involved a midair collision of two aircraft. The Auxiliary aircraft was on a routine patrol looking for targets of interest. The Coast Guard Falcon was tracking a fast-moving vessel (go-fast) making a run for the Florida Keys just north of the Cay Sal Bank (FL). The go-fast vessel was suspected of being engaged in drug running, migrant smuggling or another illegal activity. The last communication from the Falcon was at 0745. The last communication from the Auxiliary aircraft was at 0730 by Sector Key West.

"At 0800, we simulated my plane having a midair crash with a Falcon Jet over the Cay Sal Bank. Everyone died; Auxiliarist Gene Kahn and I were the dead guys. Can you imagine two dead Auxiliary pilots and five dead Coast Guardsmen in a Falcon all at the same time?" asked District Flight Safety Officer Michael Catalano. "The mishap plan is to send aircraft and surface assets from everywhere within the region to save us if we need help."

Mishap planning is designed to find holes in the system. This scenario proved to be extremely useful to the Auxiliary and may change emergency procedures nationwide. "One of the most critical issues that arose was that we (Auxiliary) have a limited emergency contact list in AUXDATA," said Gene Kahn, Rear Commodore-East (D7). "Our Auxiliary has excellent training, but mishaps can occur. In this new era of Auxiliary operations, both on the surface and in the air, we must be prepared to make immediate contact with the next of kin for medical releases or information to help our people in the event of an emergency."

Auxiliarist Kahn is already on top of the situation under the aegis of 7th District Director of Auxiliary CDR Kevin Crawley and District Commodore Peter Fernandez. Catalano and Kahn are working currently with Air Station Miami personnel to develop an emergency contact information list that is tailored for the Auxiliary.

"As the safety guy, this is up my alley and it will be one of the two major points I'll work on this year. The other point will be communication between Auxiliary and Coast Guard air assets to avoid this very kind of accident," said Catalano. "If you were there today, you would have been very impressed with the way all involved handled this situation!"

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