National Guard Pilot Honored After Pulling Off Unprecedented Emergency Landing
A National Guard pilot was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for safely landing an aircraft after sustaining heavy damage during a training flight in 2017, according to a Thursday Air Force news release.
Maj. Brett DeVries of the Michigan Air National Guard’s 107th Fighter Squadron was presented the award on Nov. 6 for landing an A-10 Thunderbolt II without a canopy or functioning landing gear.
It was believed to be the first landing without the use of landing gear or a canopy in the aircraft’s history, according to a 2017 Air Force news release.
“The Distinguished Flying Cross is America’s oldest military aviation decoration,” Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said in a news release.
No wheels, no canopy, no problem: A-10 pilot who pulled off daring landing receives Distinguished Flying Cross, now on @AirForceTimes https://t.co/04R6T9BvZV pic.twitter.com/LkvVHAoCQe
— Stephen Losey (@StephenLosey) November 12, 2020
“Awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement that is, ‘entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine,’ today, Maj. DeVries, you will join the ranks of some other American heroes,” Barrett continued.
DeVries was taking part in a routine training flight in July 2017 when his plane’s gun malfunctioned — damaging the landing gear — and its canopy blew off at about 150 feet.
“In that moment, your training kicks in. The training — that’s what saves you and your wingman,” DeVries said.
After climbing to 2,000 feet, DeVries and his wingman, Maj. Shannon Vickers, decided to attempt a landing at Michigan’s Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center rather than eject out of the aircraft.
“I just thought, ‘There is no way this is happening right now.’ It all was sort of surreal, but at the same time, we were 100 percent focused on the task ahead of us,” Vickers said.
DeVries brought the A-10 in for a smooth landing about 25 minutes after losing his canopy.
“Capt. DeVries’ skills as a pilot were put to the test in this incident,” Brig. Gen. John Slocum, the 127th Wing commander, said.
“He demonstrated not only superior skill as a pilot but remained calm in an extremely challenging situation. To walk away from this scenario with no injuries is a true testament to his abilities as a world-class fighter pilot.”
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