919 SOW aviators respond to overturned civilian aircraft in remote Alaska sandbar

What began as the final flight of an intensive advanced mountain-flying course in the Alaskan wilderness quickly turned into a real-world response for two Air Force Special Operations Command pilots.

Maj. Adam Pereira and Maj. Steffan Guilbault, both assigned to the 919th Special Operations Wing, were completing a five-day advanced unimproved-surface course in two Piper PA-18 Super Cub aircraft when radio chatter alerted them to a downed civilian aircraft overturned on an isolated river sandbar.

Within 10 minutes of hearing the call, the Air Force Reserve aviators reached the remote scene, conducted reconnaissance, landed on the short gravel bar, secured a fuel spill, and established overhead airspace and communication control.

"We land on landing zones that are semi-prepared, whereas these guys are landing on things that are not landing zones at all," Pereira explained. "You look down and that gravel bar next to that river looks pretty good, and they teach you how to assess it from the air, do a low pass, look for surface roughness, evaluate wind direction, and touch down."

The training syllabus consisted of five hours of ground instruction and 10 hours of flight training, tailored specifically to advanced bush-flying operations and off-airport landings. For AFSOC crews accustomed to flying aircraft such as the C-146A and PC-12 into semi-prepared landing zones, the course represented a top-off curriculum for austere environments.

On their final day of sorties, having just completed a mountain-side departure, Pereira and Guilbault, flying in separate Super Cubs alongside civilian instructor pilots, monitored intermittent radio chatter on traffic advisory frequencies. A civilian pilot in a larger aircraft had spotted an overturned Super Cub on a riverbed approximately 10 miles away. However, because the larger aircraft was unable to land on the short terrain, observers could only conduct a high-speed flyby.

"The pilot in the larger plane did a low pass and said it looked like no one was inside," Pereira said. "We talked about it in the cockpit and voiced concerned of somebody potentially being slumped over inside trapped. We decided it was worth going to check, just in the off chance that somebody was seriously hurt."

Pereira and his instructor immediately pushed their Super Cub to maximum power to close the 10-mile distance. Recognizing that multiple aircraft might be drawn to the site without coordinated control, Pereira and Guilbault divided responsibilities in flight, a fundamental AFSOC practice.

Guilbault and his instructor remained airborne directly overhead to orbit the site, monitor traffic, deconflict arriving civilian aircraft, and maintain communications relay with Air Traffic Control and regional flight services.

"Once you shut down, you can't hear Air Traffic Control anymore, and you can't tell approaching traffic that an airplane is already down on the bar kicking up dust," Pereira noted. "Guilbault stayed airborne on the radios to manage the airspace and ensure everyone knew responders were already on the ground."

Meanwhile, Pereira executed a tactical low pass to assess the riverbed's surface roughness, obstacles, and prevailing winds before putting his Super Cub down on the approximately 500-foot sandbar.

Upon landing and approaching the inverted aircraft, Pereira discovered that aviation fuel was leaking freely from the ruptured system. Acting swiftly, he reached into the cockpit and shut off the fuel selector to contain the spill and eliminate the ignition risk.

With the aircraft secured, fire risk mitigated, and other civilian aircraft arriving to assist, Pereira cleared the gravel bar and departed back to base, concluding the sortie with Guilbault as both crews safely recovered in Anchorage.

With both Air Force pilots with 30 years total flying experience, noted their split- second decision to intervene stemmed directly from their operational background in special operations.

"Operating deployed in austere locations where there is little to no resources or ground support, and frequently landing on dirt, makes this kind of flying second nature," Pereira said. "Having done casualty evacuation missions in the past, the instinct to use an aircraft to reach people in remote terrain and render aid is part of who we are as AFSOC aviators."