Sign Me In
by AMS1(AW) Sergio Almacen
Trusting another Sailor's tool inventory, this supervisor finds himself in front of a Chief Petty Officer's review board.

FOD on Cat 4
by AME3 Min K. Yun
A sharp-sighted troubleshooter halted a launch because of a butter knife on the cat track.

The One We Left Behind
by AM1(AW) Howard
Hurried maintenance leads to a damaged vertical stabilator and a frustrated CDI.

One Expensive Fuel Tank
by Capt. James Thiesen
Another dropped tank and an injured Marine.

This Turkey Will Carve You Up
by AE1 James Buie
The sharp edge of panel 68L has caught many maintainers by surprise.

Don't Let Bad Communication Bite You
by AME2 Jeffrey Bryant
A maintainer's hand is crushed when a shipmate closes a canopy on him.

Four Bolts Go Flying
by LCdr. Scott McKenzie
Three maintainers rush to finish an AFC, and they failed to remove the old hardware and new FOD.

Ten Fingers and Ten Toes...Barely!
by AO3 Jason Osgood
Drop a Phoenix fairing on your foot, and you can hurt like this ordie.

The Tool That Went Flying
by AM2 Arnold Vales
This maintainer often had read stories in Mech about simple tool control errors and now talks about his own mistake.

We Look for FOD Just Once a Day
by Ltjg. Stephen Baugh
FOD walkdowns are critical, and this pilot shares a story of that highlights a problem on "small boys."

Checking Your Own Work
by AD1 Eduardo Gonzalez
Everyone knows you can't do the work, CDI the job, and sign off the QA check. Right?

Old Faithful
by CWO2 John Salgado
What do you do when a geyser hits your aircraft?

Who Wants to Take a Skydrol Shower?
by AME1(AW) J. S. Blanks
A lack of ground-crew coordination and PPE ends with two maintainers wet and irritated.

Support Equipment Situational Awareness (SESA)
by Lt. Chad White
Having an SE license implies you have knowledge of when and how to use it.

Getting Killed Is Easy
by Airman Johnson
After a lost tool, this maintainer realizes he could have killed an aircrew.

An Old Retiree's Advice: Don't Fish in the Dark
by Joe La Motta
Sage advice about test equipment from a retired Sailor.

Will the Third Time Be a Charm?, by AO1(AW/SW) Mendoza
A Marine learns two lessons the hard way.

When Errors Hit a Flap, No Lift Is Created
by AD1 Fouche Smith
A good plan, extra help, and a little training didn't keep a flap from getting damaged.

Punched in the Face by a 40-Pound Brick
by Lt. Oscar Montes
A loose HUD snaps free on a cat shot

Never too Old to Learn
by CWO2 John Salgado
You can teach old dogs new tricks, as this old salt found out.

A New Chief's Take on ORM
by AEC(AW) Kirk Rutter
This new chief shares sage advice about ORM and the things he has learned about safety.

FOD Detectives
by AMC Jack Eckert
The search for FOD causes is as important as finding the FOD.

In Search of a Cure for the Common Cold
by Lt. M.P. O'Hara
Solving manning issues,  training problems, and complacency is hard.

Enter the Head Compactor Zone
by ADC(AW) Garth Blanks
Doing the pre- start checklist on an SH-60B before FOD walkdown is complete doesn't make sense.

Days to Remember...I Mean Forget
by AO3 Herman
A bad mistake forces this maintainer to look at the good and bad.

I Thought You Had It
by Anonymous
An old removed valve gets left in an aircraft and another lesson gets learned the hard way.

Panel on Cat No. 1
by AE1(AW) R. Orwig
A CDI signs off a MAF, but a combat FOD walkdown tells the story.

X Marks the Spot
by AM3 Burke
This maintainer got caught up in the "heat of the moment" and lost a torque tip.

Lost in the LA
by An Anonymous Sailor
It doesn't take much to lose SA and wander across a foul line. The medicine is worse than the illness.

How I Learned the Importance of FOD
by AM1(AW) Jon "Former Foo-Dog" Rench
A lesson on tool control and FOD at the same time.

Watch Out for the New C-40
by Lt. Mac Shuford
The newest passenger and cargo aircraft has new safety concerns.

Yes, Johnny, B-4 Stands Can Fly
by AT1(AW) Dwin Franklin
With enough exhaust, anything can fly.

Working Without a MAF
by AM2 Alexander
Doing maintenance with the the proper paperwork will cause problems.

Dropped Drop Tank
by AT2 Andrew Charleroy
Another lesson learned the hard way.

One Hot Night
by AO2(AW) J. Longacre
Walking  into the forward clamshell without a cranial will make you bleed.

Out of Control Tools
by AD3 Joshua Sherman
A maintainer learns the importance of checking out all tools from all boxes used.

Increasing Flight-Deck Awareness
by Lt. Bill Maske
A new way of making a green HSL detachment safer.

Whose Flight Deck Is It
by ADC(AW) Tex Rochester
This chief reminds us that operating on a small deck requires a review of a ship's SOP because each class is a little different.

Sweat the Small Stuff
by AT3 John Campe
A plane captain finds a minor problem that could have been disastrous.

Flight-Line Follies
by AECS(AW) Mullaney
A squadron develops a sensible and effective flight-line training program.

Stuck in a Hard Place
by AMS1 Alejandro Gaceta
An AE gets his hand pinched in a jack when it slips of a pad. How it happened is a good lesson learned. 

A Little Communication or a Lack of It
by AM3 Robert Luffman
An E-2C's wings fold unexpectedly, surprising an airframer.

Time Out for a Break
by AOC(AW) Arman Abad
The chief loses a couple Sailors to heat exhaustion and reminds readers to take fluids on a hot day.

Danger...Moving Parts!
by An Anonymous Sailor
Hot weather and  jenny exhaust team up to cause a little maintenance malpractice.

Oops!
by CWO2 Roosevelt Franklin
This warrant officer reflects on a simple mistake from the past that caused a big problem.

Human Error in Ordnance Can Lead to a Big, Bad Bang
by MGySgt. Michael Smith
Handling ordnance requires the utmost attention to detail, and human error is not acceptable.

The Helo Just Exploded
by Lt. Don Manning
That's what some people thought. The gripe wasn't as dramatic but was an interesting problem.

Problem on a Normal Man-Up
by AMS2 Russell Law
We are reminded that no event should be viewed as normal.

We Were Task Saturated
by ATC(AW) Michael Hogan
Reduced manning, higher tasking, and inexperienced crews can cause problems.

Paying the Checklist Dues
by An Anonymous Sailor
Not using a checklist will catch up with you sooner or later.