An Air Force accident investigation found that the crash of a HH-60 Pave Hawk on May 11 near Angel Fire, N.M., that resulted in the death of flight engineer TSgt. Scott A. Bobbitt, was caused primarily by pilot error. Contributing to the accident, though, were unfavorable weather conditions and “general complacency” of the flight crew, stated an Air Education and Training Command recap of the accident report. The HH-60 was assigned to the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
