The Air Force is blaming pilot fatigue for the C-17 landing 4 miles from MacDill AFB, but we know it was the fear of the General’s knife-hands that paralyzed the young pilot’s ability to think clearly. This is one of many qualities General Mattis will bring to the table as our President. This is the kind of man that we need running the free world . . . General James Mad Dog Mattis for President!
Another amazing feat by General Mattis, and in maintaining a tradition of support given to the General James Mad Dog Mattis, POTUS campaign by SOFREP’s Buck Clay. Check out his previous endorsements for the General below – Mad Dog in ’16!
The Air Force is blaming pilot fatigue for the C-17 landing 4 miles from MacDill AFB, but we know it was the fear of the General’s knife-hands that paralyzed the young pilot’s ability to think clearly. This is one of many qualities General Mattis will bring to the table as our President. This is the kind of man that we need running the free world . . . General James Mad Dog Mattis for President!
Another amazing feat by General Mattis, and in maintaining a tradition of support given to the General James Mad Dog Mattis, POTUS campaign by SOFREP’s Buck Clay. Check out his previous endorsements for the General below – Mad Dog in ’16!
The civilian runway is 3,405 feet long, less than a third the size of the runway 4 miles southwest at MacDill.
About halfway down the runway, the pilot hit the brakes in earnest. The big-footed landing gear left triple streaks of rubber.
The behemoth C-17 cargo plane that landed in error at a tiny Davis Islands airport carried within its fuselage one of the military‘s mightiest men.
But Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, holds no ill will toward the crew that screeched to a halt on a short runway with him aboard.
“The young pilot did a good job landing, albeit on the wrong strip,” Mattis said Wednesday.
Six months after the mishap shook up a residential district that flanks the Peter O. Knight Airport near downtown Tampa, the military has finally put the blame on human error, a theory espoused by civilians long ago.
The aircraft, as wide as a football field and as tall as a five-story building, was headed to MacDill on July 20.
When it instead set down at the small field on the southern tip of Davis Islands, residents could feel the vibrations and hear the roar.
Deric Dymerski, president of the company that runs ground operations at Peter O. Knight, realized right away that the pilot must have mistaken one airport for the other. It had happened before. After all, both airfields have runways oriented at the same angle.
Retired pilots immediately suspected pilot fatigue.
Civilians had their theories but the Air Mobility Command, based at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, initially confirmed none of them, not even that the incident was a mistake.
As someone who’s seen what happens when the truth is distorted, I know how unfair it feels when those who’ve sacrificed the most lose their voice. At SOFREP, our veteran journalists, who once fought for freedom, now fight to bring you unfiltered, real-world intel. But without your support, we risk losing this vital source of truth. By subscribing, you’re not just leveling the playing field—you’re standing with those who’ve already given so much, ensuring they continue to serve by delivering stories that matter. Every subscription means we can hire more veterans and keep their hard-earned knowledge in the fight. Don’t let their voices be silenced. Please consider subscribing now.
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