History Recap / JAGS01E06PilotError

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Lieutenant Pendry's duties meant he spent quite a bit of time away from his family. Time that was spent primarily with his wingman, Lieutenant [=McKee=]. [[spoiler: While the two had feelings for each other, they never acted on them.]]

* FailsafeFailure: In the event of a system malfunction, shutting off the terrain-following autopilot automatically puts the plane into a 4G climb to prevent the plane from flying into the terrain. [[spoiler: But if the autopilot's instruments are knocked into an inverted state by rough landings (like on an aircraft carrier), this can cause the plane to roll and pull "up" into the ground instead.]]

* FlawedPrototype: Rabb believes that the system is flawed, while Reid is quick to point out that the Air Force uses the same system and hasn't reported any issues [[spoiler: because the Air Force has long runways allowing for smoother touchdowns. The system wasn't designed for the abuse that comes with making a "trap" on a short aircraft carrier flight deck.]]
* GracefulLoser: Once presented with solid evidence that the autopilot system may have in fact malfunctioned [[spoiler: due to not being designed with the abuse of Navy carrier landings in mind]], the Macroplex executive accepts this and promises to have the newly discovered flaws corrected.

* RedHerring: A growing body of evidence suggests that Pendry and [=McKee=] had an affair, including the two going to visit a doctor for what appeared to be an abortion. [[spoiler: [=McKee=] had actually suffered a miscarriage, and the child was their commanding officer's, rather than Pendry's. Pendry was simply there for emotional support.]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "APTERN just inverted!"]]

A Tomcat crashes during testing of a new terrain-following navigation system, killing both crewmembers. Lt. Harmon Rabb and Lt. j.g. Meg Austin must determine whether the cause of the accident was due to a malfunction of the new system or pilot error.

James Reid (Creator/KenLerner), the representative for the manufacturer Macroplex, is eager to place blame on the pilot, while Rabb refuses to believe the pilot would have made such a foolish mistake.

Directed by Creator/LesLandau

Written by Creator/DonaldPBellisario, Creator/JackOrman, & Creator/RobertCochran

A Tomcat crashes during testing of a new terrain-following navigation system, killing both crewmembers. Harm and Meg must determine whether the cause of the accident was due to a malfunction of the new system or pilot error. James Reid, the representative for the manufacturer Macroplex, is eager to place blame on the pilot, while Harm refuses to believe the pilot would have made such a foolish mistake. Things are further complicated when it turns out that Harm and the pilot were old friends, which might compromise his impartiality in the investigation.

!!"Pilot Error" contains examples of the following tropes:
----

** {{Subverted}} with Harm. During his investigation, he takes a Tomcat through the same flight plan as Pendry's last flight, including 5 traps on a carrier (a difficult task on a good day) before going on the simulated attack run. He's been out of practice at carrier operations, resulting in five very rough landings, much to the consternation of [=McKee=], who has volunteered to substitute for the [[GuyInBack RIO]] for the flight.
-->'''Harm:''' Sorry, I'm a little rusty.

* ComfortingTheWidow: Harm spends time with Pendry's family, having known them when he was still alive.

* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Unusual example in that it was the object of both parties' affection, Harm's friend and Annie's husband, rather than one of the competitors, who dies.

* FlawedPrototype: Harm believes that the system is flawed, while Reid is quick to point out that the Air Force uses the same system and hasn't reported any issues [[spoiler: because the Air Force has long runways allowing for smoother touchdowns. The system wasn't designed for the abuse that comes with making a "trap" on a short aircraft carrier flight deck.]]

* InterserviceRivalry: After making five carrier landings with Harm, [=McKee=] says:

* MeaningfulFuneral: Harm and Meg attend Lt. Pendry's funeral, which is complete with military honors and fighters flying the MissingManFormation. It is meaningful to Harm because Pendry was his friend and the loss for the son of the deceased mirrors Harm’s own loss of his father at roughly the same age.

* {{UST}}: A significant degree between Pendry and [=McKee=], destined to remain Unresolved due to Pendry being married. Also {{Discussed}} between Meg and [=McKee=], who [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that many could make the same claim of Meg and Harm.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Annie Pendry's biggest fear concerning her son Josh, after his father is killed in a plane crash. She points out that Harm became a fighter pilot after his own father went missing in Vietnam, further reinforcing her concern.

* InterserviceRivalry: After making five carrier landnings with Harm, [=McKee=] says:

* MeaningfulFuneral: Harm and Meg attend Lt. Pendry's funeral, which is complete with military honors and fighters flying the missing man formation. It is meaningful to Harm because Pendry was his friend and the loss for the son of the deceased mirrors Harm’s own loss of his father at roughly the same age.

* YourCheatingHeart: Pendry was very close to his female wingman, Lt. [=McKee=], leading to many rumors that the two had an affair. Harm, [=McKee=], and Pendry's widow all insist that no affair took place, for different reasons (Harm refuses to believe his friend would have done such a thing, [=McKee=] admits to having had feelings for him, but knew it wasn't meant to be, and Pendry's wife insists that their relationship was too strong for such a thing to happen.) [[spoiler: [=McKee=] did have an affair... with her commanding officer, but not with Pendry.]]

-->'''McKee:''' You're not rusty, Lieutenant. You're corroded.

* FailsafeFailure: In the event of a system malfunction, the terrain-following autopilot automatically puts the plane into a 4G climb to prevent the plane from flying into the terrain. [[spoiler: But if the autopilot's instruments are knocked out of alignment by a rough landing, this can cause the plane to pull up into the ground instead.]]

-->You're making me wish I'd joined the Air Force.

* MeaningfulFuneral: In "Pilot Error", Harm and Meg attends the funeral of Lt. Pendry, which is complete with military honors and fighters flying the missing man formation. It is meaningful to Harm because Pendry was his friend and the loss for the son of the deceased mirrors Harm’s own loss of his father at roughly the same age.

A Tomcat crashes during testing of a new terrain-following navigation system, killing both crewmembers. Harm and Meg must determine whether the cause of the accident was due to a malfunction of the new system or pilot error. A corporate rep is eager to place blame on the pilot, while Harm refuses to believe the pilot would have made such a foolish mistake. Things are further complicated when it turns out that Harm and the pilot were old friends, which might compromise his impartiality in the investigation.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: James Reid doesn't believe he is wrong about Pendry's responsibility for the crash, but he resorts to some incredibly underhanded tactics to try and prove it, including a character assassination campaign.
* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Unusual example in that it was the object of both parties' affection, rather than one of the competitors, who dies.

* GracefulLoser: Once presented with solid evidence that the autopilot system may have in fact malfunctioned [[spoiler: due to not being designed with the abuse of carrier landings in mind]], he accepts this and promises to have the newly discovered flaws corrected.

* [[Recap/{{JAG}} Back to the JAG Recap page]]
* [[Series/{{JAG}} Back to the JAG mainpage]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Pendry was very close to his female wingman, Lt. [=McKee=], leading to many rumors that the two had an affair. Harm, [=McKee=], and Pendry's widow all insist that no affair took place, for different reasons (Harm refuses to believe his friend would have done such a thing, [=McKee=] admits to having had feelings for him, but knew it wasn't meant to be, and Pendry's wife insists that their relationship was too strong for such a thing to happen.) [[spoiler: [=McKee=] did have an affair... with her commanding officer, but not with Pendry.]]

* DistanceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Lieutenant Pendry's duties meant he spent quite a bit of time away from his family. Time that was spent primarily with his wingman, Lieutenant [=McKee=]. [[spoiler: While the two had feelings for each other, they never acted on them.]]