JAG

HOG EYE HAS TWO INBOUND BOGIES.

WE NAIL THEM, WE'LL HAVE BAGGED THE WHOLE SQUADRON.

THAT'LL TEACH THE SQUIDS NOT TO MESS WITH MARINES.

Lucas: MIRAMAR CONTROL.

RED DOG ONE-FIVE

IS POINT ALPHA WITH A FLIGHT OF TWO.

Miramar: You are cleared to the range.

Lucas: ONE-FIVE, ROGER.

WILDCAT. RED DOG.

You ready to save the squadron's honor?

READY AND ABLE, RED DOG.

HOW LOW YOU GOING TO GO?

Burrowing animals better not

STICK THEIR HEADS UP.

I'LL CALL YOUR BREAK, WILDCAT.

COPY THAT, RED DOG.

Pilot: APTERN zeroed

at Point Bravo.

PICK YOUR FEET UP.

Marcus: Sitting on my heels, sir.

APTERN ENGAGED.

THREE-NINER, BREAK.

McKee: Three-Niner.

ON MY WAY.

CONTACT, I THINK.

THERE!

HOG EYE! FLY CATCHER!

AIRCRAFT DOWN!

Three-Niner, Miramar Control.

Abort, abort. Climb to Angels One-Five.

Establish left hand orbit. Over.

THREE-NINER CLIMBING TO ANGELS ONE-FIVE.

WHY THE ABORT, MIRAMAR?

We have an aircraft down.

Three-Niner, do you see a parachute? Over.

McKee: NEGATIVE, MIRAMAR.

THREE-NINER DOES NOT SEE A PARACHUTE.

LIEUTENANT PENDRY'S MISSION WAS

TO SIMULATE TAKING OUT AN AVENGER MISSILE UNIT

MANNED BY MARINES.

IT WAS THE TOUGHEST MISSION PROFILE

IN OUR INTRA-SQUADRON COMPETITION.

NONE OF THE HOWLERS... THAT'S PENDRY'S SQUADRON...

TOOK IT OUT.

WHAT WAS THE MISSION PROFILE?

HE CAME IN LOW FROM ONE DIRECTION.

HIS WINGMAN MADE HER APPROACH FROM ANOTHER.

HIS WINGMAN'S A FEMALE?

LIEUTENANT TESS McKEE.

ONE OF THE BEST FROM WHAT I HEAR.

DID THE MARINES GET A LOCK ON PENDRY

BEFORE HE AUGURED IN?

THEY DIDN'T SEE HIM TILL HE CAME OVER THAT HILL, INVERTED.

HIS PROFILE CALLED FOR LOW-LEVEL INVERTED FLIGHT?

NO, SIR, AND HE WAS FLYING APTERN.

IT'S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND

WHY HE WAS INVERTED.

APTERN?

AUTO PRECISION TERRAIN RADAR NAVIGATION.

I KNOW, BUT IT'S AN AIR FORCE SYSTEM.

WHAT'S IT DOING IN A NAVY TOMCAT?

DEFENSE CUTBACKS, SIR.

D.O.D. IS PUSHING HARD

FOR INTER-SERVICE SYSTEMS COMMONALITY.

IT SAVES R & D.

UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES YOU SAVE MONEY AND LOSE LIVES.

WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS

WITH THE APTERN SYSTEM.

UNTIL NOW.

THIS CRASH WASN'T CAUSED

BY APTERN, LIEUTENANT.

JAMES REID, MACROPLEX.

LIEUTENANTS RABB AND AUSTIN, JAG.

I TAKE IT MACROPLEX MANUFACTURES APTERN.

THAT'S RIGHT. WE CHECK EVERY INCIDENT INVOLVING OUR SYSTEMS.

THE PENTAGON REQUIRES IT.

NOT ALL OF OUR PRODUCTS ARE PERFECT, BUT APTERN'S CLOSE.

EVEN IF IT CAUSED THIS CRASH?

TELL YOU WHAT.

IF YOU DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS ABOUT APTERN

I WON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS ABOUT LIEUTENANT PENDRY.

FAIR ENOUGH?

FAIR ENOUGH.

SHALL WE TAKE A LOOK?

OBVIOUSLY, LIEUTENANTS PENDRY AND MARCUS

WERE KILLED INSTANTLY.

WE HAVE REMOVED THEIR BODIES, BUT THERE MAY STILL BE...

PARTS OF THEM EMBEDDED IN THE WRECKAGE.

I KNOW, LIEUTENANT.

Man: LUKE WAS ONE OF THE BEST. A NATURAL.

MAYBE HE COULD PUSH THE ENVELOPE A LITTLE FURTHER THAN MOST.

Austin: HE TOOK CHANCES, SIR?

IN THIS BUSINESS

YOU TAKE A CHANCE EVERY TIME YOU GO UP.

BUT YOU IMPLIED HE TOOK MORE THAN MOST

OR DO I NOT UNDERSTAND

WHAT "PUSHING THE ENVELOPE" MEANS, SIR?

PERHAPS YOU DON'T.

AS I UNDERSTAND IT, SIR

IT MEANS GOING TO THE LIMIT OF AN AIRCRAFT AND BEYOND.

CLOSE ENOUGH.

AND WE ALL DO IT AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.

YES, SIR, BUT YOU SAID PENDRY

PUSHED THE ENVELOPE A LITTLE FURTHER THAN MOST.

HE HAD THE TALENT TO GET AWAY WITH IT.

LIEUTENANT AUSTIN, WASN'T LIEUTENANT McKEE SCHEDULED

TO JOIN US BY NOW?

WOULD YOU MIND STEPPING OUTSIDE, SEE WHAT'S KEEPING HER?

CERTAINLY, SIR.

I CAN SEE TRYING IT IN COMBAT, BUT AN EXERCISE?

LUKE DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN

IF THE MISSION WAS REAL OR SIMULATED.

HE WANTED TO WIN.

YEAH, BUT TO GO INVERTED TO AVOID NEGATIVE Gs...

YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO TRY SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

LIEUTENANT McKEE?

LIEUTENANT AUSTIN, JAG.

I'M SORRY ABOUT LIEUTENANT PENDRY.

I HEARD HE WAS A GOOD MAN.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA, LIEUTENANT.

I HEARD ABOUT WHAT YOU DID ON THE SEAHAWK.

HELL OF A FEAT

CONSIDERING YOU HADN'T FLOWN A TOMCAT IN FOUR YEARS.

I GOT LUCKY, SIR.

IT TAKES THAT SOMETIMES

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE.

AREN'T MOST GOOD PILOTS, SIR?

OF COURSE, BUT LUKE WOULD HAVE LOVED

BEING THE ONLY ONE TO NAIL THAT SAM.

COMMANDER...

COULD HE HAVE PUSHED IT TOO FAR?

NO. HE JUST RAN OUT OF LUCK.

NOTHING MORE THAN THAT.

McKee: CONDITIONS WERE IDEAL.

CLEAR VISIBILITY, NO TURBULENCE.

IT WAS BY THE NUMBERS.

THEN JUST AS I BEGAN MY RUN

MIRAMAR TOLD ME TO ABORT AND ASKED ME TO LOOK FOR CHUTES.

THERE WEREN'T ANY.

DID LIEUTENANT PENDRY COMMUNICATE WITH YOU

DURING HIS RUN AT THE TARGET?

JUST TO BREAK.

TO START MY ATTACK.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FLYING WITH APTERN?

ABOUT THREE MONTHS.

ANY PROBLEMS?

NO. THE TERRAIN-SEEKING RADAR IS ACCURATE

AND IT PERFORMS

SPECIFIC MANEUVERS

AS PROGRAMMED BY THE MISSION PROFILE.

BUT YOU DON'T LIKE IT?

NO PILOT LIKES TO TURN CONTROL

OVER TO A BLACK BOX.

DIDN'T PENDRY DISLIKE APTERN TOO?

HE FELT THE SAME AS THE REST OF US.

WOULD HE HAVE SHUT DOWN APTERN TO FLY THE TOMCAT HIMSELF?

NO. THE MISSION PROFILE

CALLED FOR THE USE OF APTERN.

HE WOULD NOT HAVE TURNED IT OFF

UNLESS IT WERE MALFUNCTIONING.

WAS IT MALFUNCTIONING?

I DON'T KNOW. I WASN'T IN HIS COCKPIT.

BUT LIEUTENANT PENDRY LIKED TO FLY ON THE EDGE.

ON THE EDGE OF WHAT?

I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, LIEUTENANT.

I DON'T THINK I DO, LIEUTENANT.

IF NONE OF THE HOWLERS FLEW

A SUCCESSFUL MISSION USING APTERN

MAYBE PENDRY THOUGHT HE COULD DO BETTER

WITHOUT IT.

HE PROBABLY COULD

BUT THE COMPETITION CALLED FOR THE USE OF APTERN

AND LUKE WAS A PROFESSIONAL.

THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT.

I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, SIR.

SO DO I, LIEUTENANT

BUT WE CAN ASK THEM AS THE INVESTIGATION PROCEEDS.

WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?

SHE JUST LOST HER WINGMAN.

GO A LITTLE EASY.

WE HAVE AN INVESTIGATION TO RUN... SIR.

I'M AWARE OF THAT, LIEUTENANT, WHICH IS WHY

I WANT YOU TO PULL ALL THE GRIPE SHEETS ON APTERN

FOR NAVY AND AIR FORCE.

I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY PROBLEM THEY'VE EVER HAD

NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL.

YES, SIR.

I'M GOING TO VISIT LIEUTENANT PENDRY'S WIFE.

HARM!

HI, ANNIE.

GOD, I... I FEEL LIKE CALLING OUT

TELLING HIM YOU'RE HERE.

HE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN YOU.

HEY, JOSH, YOU REMEMBER HARM?

HI, JOSH.

I DON'T THINK HE REALLY UNDERSTANDS YET.

I THINK HE DOES.

HARM.

THANKS.

SIT DOWN.