Capt. Taylor Bye’s risky emergency landing of her A-10 Warthog without a landing gear or canopy could have ended in disaster

Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Rachel Coates / 23rd Wing Public Affairs / DVIDS / Public Domain

In 2020, Capt. Taylor Bye of the 75th Fighter Squadron, US Air Force, received the esteemed Air Combat Command Airmanship Award. Her remarkable piloting abilities were demonstrated during a courageous emergency landing of a Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II, despite the aircraft lacking its landing gear and missing its canopy.

This accomplishment further solidified her reputation as an exceptional aviator.

Overview of Taylor Bye’s incredible landing

Taylor Bye with her Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II, May 2021. (Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Briana Beavers / 23rd Wing Public Affairs / DVIDS / Public Domain)

Following what the Air Force called a “catastrophic” failure, Taylor Bye expertly managed to land her A-10C safely, even though a malfunction with the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger occurred during a flight over Grand Bay Range at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.

The unexpected failure led to the cockpit canopy detaching and caused damage to the landing gear systems. Nevertheless, Bye’s expertise and skill was what allowed her to bring the damaged aircraft down safely.

Reflecting on the incident, she later remarked,”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’s Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II following the belly landing. (Photo Credit: Andrea Jenkins / U.S. Air Force)

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.”

Taylor Bye had to reduce her visibility

Capt. Taylor Bye entering her Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II, 2021. (Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Briana Beavers / 23rd Wing / DVIDS / Public Domain)

“When anything (unusual) happens, it’s apparent and very easy to spot it and fix it,” Ingber explained. “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.”

After evaluating the severity of the situation, Bye performed a belly landing with the 20-ton aircraft. To withstand the 350 MPH winds pounding the cockpit, she adjusted her seat, although this limited her ability to see her surroundings clearly.

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Taylor Bye was nervous, but still did her job

Capt. Taylor Bye and Kory Kolligian II with the 2020 Koren Kolligian, Jr., 2022. (Photo Credit: Eric Dietrich / Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / DVIDS / Public Domain)

“I guess I was nervous the whole time, but I didn’t have time to think about being nervous,” the pilot explained. “My job was to take care of myself and to take care of the jet.” Thankfully, she brought the A-10C down safely and emerged unscathed.

Reflecting on the event, Lt. Col. Stephen Joca, commander of the 75th Fighter Squadron, emphasized, “what’s most important is preventing total loss of the A-10 or even worse, her life,” and added “there are some steps that were covered in the checklist – the rest was just superb airmanship and decision making.”

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II’s famous ruggedness

Taylor Bye received the Air Combat Command Airmanship Award for her landing of the Republic Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II, May 2021. (Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Rachel Coates / 23rd Wing Public Affairs / DVIDS / Public Domain)

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.

Jesse Beckett:
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