Nine Serious Accidents Since October

Stand down. That's the order from the Navy to all non-deployed aircraft, in the wake of a series of aircraft and helicopter accidents over the past five months. It's the first operational stand-down for the Navy in nine years... this one sparked by a series of aircraft and helicopter accidents over the past few months.

Commander, Naval Air Forces Vice Adm. Jim Zortman, directed a Navywide aviation safety stand down March 3, to be conducted by all non-deployed squadrons no later than the end of this week.

The safety stand down includes, but is not limited to, a thorough review of our operating environment, operational tempo, standard operating procedures, maintenance material condition, as well as focusing on personnel issues.

"I’m directing this stand down in the wake of a series of aviation mishaps that have occurred over the past two months," said Admiral Zortman. "While no single factor can be attributed to these incidents, it’s important that we stop our daily training and thoroughly review our procedures and the risks of the environment in which we operate."

Deployed squadrons will conduct the stand down as operations permit.

Since October, there have been nine Navy crashes that ended in a loss of life or loss of the aircraft -- or both. Perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back was the crash of a Navy E6-AB Prowler in Oregon on Friday. As Aero-News reported, all four onboard that aircraft ejected and were rescued after a brief search.

"While we’re almost exactly where we were at this time last year, it is important that we halt this trend of the past two months, and that’s why I’ve directed this stand down. Accomplishing the mission and returning home safely, remain our priorities. We continue to be the best-trained, most qualified war-fighting aviators in the world. I want to ensure we’re focusing on the fundamentals, which are key to achieving success," said Zortman.

FMI: www.navy.mil