How Fog Can Effect Low Altitude Aviation Operations

 Fog 

    Most people know that fog is essentially just a cloud on the ground. It might be hard to see while driving, or even walking for that manner. Now imagine how difficult it would be to navigate an aircraft in those conditions, more specifically in a military environment where the operation you're conducting is often ground focused. But what causes fog? How can we predict fog and what potential effects can it have?

    Fog typically occurs when low altitude air vapor is cooled closer to the ground, and begins to condense and become visible in the form of a mist (PHAK, 2020). The thickness and severity of the fog itself has a few factors like elevation, humidity, winds, and air temperature. If the conditions are right, fog can be severe enough to have a dire impact on the safety of an operation.

"MOJO 69"

    On the evening of March 10th of 2015, those conditions were just right to form a potentially dangerous fog over the special operations community of Navarre, Florida (White, 2021). The crew of a UH-60 Blackhawk were conducting a training insertion mission on the beaches, and a thick fog had set in. The crew decided to attempt the mission anyway, and likely due to the conditions, would crash into the Santa Rosa Sound and the lives of 11 servicemen would be lost. Cold and dry air moved in over the warm body of water and the evaporation caused a fog so thick it's commonly referred to as "Sea Smoke" (PHAK, 2020). The low altitude, absence of wind, and high humidity of the area can often create fog in this area, and even though the pilots were experienced in these conditions, there is always a risk when operating in less than ideal situations. 

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References:

Federal Aviation Administration. (2020). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/14_phak_ch12.pdf

White, R. (2021, March 10). Honoring the memory of mojo 69. South Santa Rosa News. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://ssrnews.com/honoring-the-memory-of-mojo-69/