Naval air orders 1-day standdown

The commander of the Naval Air Forces command, Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, ordered a one-day safety standdown (Oct. 26) for all non-deployed aviation units after two crashes last week, the Navy announced. “This stand down provides an opportunity for our aviation commands to focus on how to further improve operational risk management and risk mitigation across the Naval Aviation enterprise,” read the Navy statement. “The safety of our personnel and our local communities is a top priority we take all aviation incidents extremely seriously.” Last Friday, Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross, a 30-year-old instructor pilot, and Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett, a 24-year-old student aviator, died after their T-6B Texan II crashed in an Alabama town west of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. On Oct. 20, an F-18E Super Hornet crashed near Naval Air Station China Lake, Calif. The pilot was recovered safely. The standdown provides an opportunity for aviation commands to focus on how to further improve operational risk management and risk mitigation across the Naval Aviation enterprise. (Source: USNI News 10/26/20) https://news.usni.org/2020/10/26/air-boss-orders-naval-aviation-safety-stand-down-after-two-crashes