In 2020, Captain Taylor Bye, a U.S. Air Force pilot with the 75th Fighter Squadron, won the Air Combat Command Airmanship Award. Her nerves of steel were on display when she flawlessly executed a gear-up landing in a Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II, braving the challenges of a missing canopy and inoperable landing gear.
This feat cemented her status as a top-notch aviator.
Overview of Taylor Bye’s incredible landing
Following a “catastrophic” failure, as described by the Air Force, Taylor Bye adeptly managed to land her A-10C despite a malfunction in the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger while flying over the Grand Bay Range at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. This unexpected issue led to the detachment of the attack aircraft’s cockpit canopy and inflicted damage on the landing gear systems.
Bye’s skill ensured the safe landing of the damaged aircraft. Reflecting on the event, she noted, “My initial reaction was to climb away from the ground and then look at my engines. The amazing thing about the A-10 is even though all these things happened, I had two perfectly working engines and hydraulic systems.”
Teamwork helped save the day
Taylor Bye was the flight leader on the day of the incident, accompanied by her wingman, Maj. Jack Ingber. Following the malfunction, Ingber visually inspected her A-10C to help establish what had gone wrong.
“I slowed down the aircraft and that’s when (Ingber) looked over my jet,” Bye explained. “The trust in this community and the Air Force in general, but specifically this fighter squadron, is huge because I’m completely relying on him to let me know what’s going on so I can take the proper action and get both him and I back on the ground safely.”
Bye had to reduce her visibility
“When anything (unusual) happens, it’s apparent and very easy to spot it and fix it,” said Ingber. “It’s my primary job to think of everything that (Bye) is not because she has a massive handful of an airplane that is falling apart.”
Once the two had seen the extent of the issues, it was time for Bye to perform a belly-landing with the 20-ton aircraft. To stay out of the 350 MPH winds rushing over the cockpit, Bye lowered her seat, although this made it hard for her to see where she was going.
Bye was nervous but did her job
“I guess I was nervous the whole time, but I didn’t have time to think about being nervous,” the pilot said. “My job was to take care of myself and to take care of the jet.” Thankfully, she touched the A-10C down safely and walked away unharmed.
The commander of the 75th Fighter Squadron, Lt. Col. Stephen Joca, said following the incident that “what’s most important is preventing total loss of the A-10 or even worse, her life,” adding that “there are some steps that were covered in the checklist – the rest was just superb airmanship and decision making.”
The Republic Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II’s famous ruggedness
Throughout its service life, the A-10 has become renown for its durability and reliability. Nonetheless, even this resilient aircraft is susceptible to malfunctions.
A similar incident took place in 2017, involving Maj. Brett DeVries of the 107th Fighter Squadron based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. His A-10 experienced a failure with its GAU-8 Avenger, resulting in the blowing off of the cockpit canopy and the landing gear becoming inoperable.
Mirroring Bye’s actions, DeVries executed a belly landing and emerged unscathed.
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Since “she managed to skillfully and safely land her A-10 with minimal damage,” despite the dangerous situation she found herself in, Taylor Bye received the Air Combat Command Airmanship Award.
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