Original subtitles

Target's in sight.

Here we go.

You're hit at ten feet and a half o 'clock.

Let's get a cool one.

Roger that.

Following in his father's footsteps as a naval aviator, Lieutenant Commander

Harmon Rabb, Jr. suffered a crash while landing his Tomcat on a storm -tossed

carrier at sea.

Diagnosed with night blindness, Harm transferred to the Navy's Judge Advocate

General Corps, which investigates, defends, and prosecutes the law of the

There, with fellow JAG lawyer Major Sarah McKenzie, he now fights in and out

the courtroom with the same daring and tenacity that made him a top gun in the

air.

has been called on the carpet.

He was happy to hear you were investigating, though. You trained with

right, sir?

I did.

Then you know how much the captain loves his fly boys, sir.

Fly boys?

Oh, excuse the inappropriate terminology, sir.

Gotta work on that.

Question,

lieutenant. Shoot, sir.

What did you do in civilian life, anyway? Drove a cab, sir.

Right.

How are you... Commission?

Captain Hawthouse pulled me out of the administration office, recommended me

Officer Candidate School.

Said I had the metal to settle. I think that's how he put it.

Anyway, I help him out when he needs me, drag him around, run errands for him,

stuff like that. You all right back there, Lieutenant?

Actually, you know, if you could slow down, it would be really... What do you

look like, sir?

You like Thai food, sir?

Me too, boy. I wish they had a place around here.

They chicken fry everything here, sir. Even the salad.

We'll be switching to the captain's car now, sir.

He's not here?

We're going to his house.

How far is that?

About 30 minutes. I can do it in 20.

Looking crisp, Commander.

Starts in a box, sir.

Lieutenant, is my car in one piece? Yes, so far, sir.

Then you are joining us for dinner. No argument. You won't get one. Welcome

back, car.

Hi, Gail. Even under the circumstances.

Roger that.

Gail, this is Lieutenant J .G. Bud Roberts.

Hello, Bud.

Pleasure, ma 'am.

And this is the Hawk.

Ah, I've heard a lot about you, sir. And you came anyway.

Commander Ebb says you're the best flight instructor in the Navy. Come on,

go sit down. Hope he's not claiming he was my best student.

Well, he really didn't specify, sir.

Smart answer, Lieutenant.

Hey, Cap, remember the time you came up in my backseat?

Told me you wouldn't say anything unless I was screwing up, right?

Ten minutes into the flight, I haven't heard anything. I figure I'm acing it,

right?

Suddenly he clobbers me in the back of the helmet with his flight stick. He'd

unscrewed it, put a note through it that said, plug in your headset.

I'd wager there was another word between your and headset.

Do you remember the drill? Every six months I take my junior instructors out

a tune -up ride to blow the dust off them.

Lieutenant Judd was your wingman?

Correct. Can you take me to the point of the accident, Captain?

Where were you when he clipped the telephone call?

Leading.

He didn't see it?

Couldn't avoid it. A severe downdraft sucked it into his path.

Now, if he was below your wing, how did you avoid the same thing?

A few meters made the difference.

So you were ascending in formation, you were approaching the ridge, a turbulence

swept under you and caught him.

That's actually better than the way I put it.

Think you'd get that put on writing for me, Captain? It's always better when I

see things on paper.

I'll have Lieutenant Schiaparelli drop it by.

You know, we told Admiral Loxley it was an act of God.

Next thing I know, you show up to investigate Peter Judd on Article 32.

The FAA is breathing down our necks here because of the civilian casualties.

The lieutenant's wife is pregnant. He doesn't need the FAA to remind him that

this is a tragedy.

I stand by him, Han.

He's my best junior instructor. If anybody could have avoided that, all it

him.

I take it back.

You would have missed it and made an overseas call at the same time.

I'll see you later.

What exactly happened up there, Lieutenant?

You should ask Lieutenant Judd, sir. He was at the wheel.

Hey, you were in the back seat. I'm asking you.

He's a cowboy, sir.

Shouldn't be allowed to drive a Buick, let alone an F -13.

You saying he was flathead?

An end zone dance, sir.

He's rocking and whooping.

When did he do that?

After the strike.

Where was Captain Hawkeye?

Not sure, sir.

I lost him.

So you don't know if the lieutenant stayed with the captain's pullout?

All I know is the lieutenant was pulling a hell of a lot of Gs, sir.

How many?

Enough to almost black out.

That's when we hit the pole.

Next thing I know, I'm here.

That was my first and last punch out.

Knees blown, sir.

I'm grounded.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant.

Commander, affidavits from Captain Hawkinson, sir.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Captain must like you, sir. He usually puts off his paperwork.

Well, I like the Captain.

Oh, I gotta put my hat in the ring with you there, sir. Because he's like a

father to me. Has me over to the house for dinner. Last year for my birthday,

had a New York pizza delivered on the mail run just for me.

Pizza here, sir.

Disgusting. Doughy. Floppy. Should be banned. And the toppings. Don't even get

me started on the toppings. If I were president, I would seriously consider

sort of automatic sterilization for anyone who ordered pineapple and

bacon. That's a point of view, Lieutenant.

You from the Big Apple? The Bronx.

Why do they call it that, sir? Do you know?

No, I don't know.

When I think in New York, fruit doesn't come to mind. Like, no fruit. Nothing

even fruity.

The big cheese, maybe. The big noise. The big hurt.

Lieutenant, are you presently available?

Yes, sir, I am. Because Lieutenant Roberts could use a lift over to weather

control.

Uh, actually, sir, I was planning on walking over.

Well, I'm sure the lieutenant would be happy to give you a ride, but... Yeah,

problem. That's okay. I could use the exercise, sir. But I need that

yesterday.

Yes, sir.

We'll be there before you can blink, sir.

I know a shortcut across the tarmac.

Excuse me, sir.

This is an investigation site. I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from

touching or handling anything.

This belonged to my son.

Mr. Lanier, I'm deeply sorry for your loss, sir.

Lieutenant Commander Rapp, Jack.

Mac?

I thought you were in Pensacola.

I was.

The Admiral called me in. Lieutenant Judd requested representation.

I wish that this had never happened, Commander.

This is Mr. Lanier, husband and father of the victims.

Were you flying this plane?

Yeah.

Why'd it go down?

Don't worry, Mr. Lanier.

Before this is over, sir, I promise you'll have an answer to every single

question.

I only received the order last night. You can't pick up the phone?

What would you have said? Don't come?

So, how's the hawk? Have you over for dinner yet?

Don't bother, ma 'am. I know your old friends.

He supports your voice.

Well, that couldn't be very encouraging for you.

I interviewed Lieutenant Judd, and I have reason to believe that he's not

responsible for this accident. Oh, yeah? What's his story?

That a severe downdraft caught him off guard.

That wouldn't happen to be the captain's version, would it?

Yeah, it would.

His reel says he was hot -dogging. That doesn't preclude the interference of a

downdraft.

Mac, turbulence is nothing new to pilots. If he was caught off guard, he

paying attention.

He was following his leader. He was lagging behind. Because of a downdraft.

Sir, should I order lunch?

So you were scoring the exercise on the day of the accident, correct,

Lieutenant? Yes, sir.

From your vantage point in the bunker, did it look to you like Lieutenant Judd

was hot -dogging?

I don't know if I'd call it that, sir. The Lieutenant has an aggressive style

flying. I'm not in the mood for semantics, Lieutenant.

May I speak freely, sir?

Please.

Lieutenant Judd once accidentally cut a phone line with his tail fin.

Put half the county out of service.

The admiral investigated, eventually dropped it. See, the thing was, the

lieutenant had left out an important piece of information.

He was upside down at the time.

Upside down, 30 feet above the deck at 500 knots.

So, in your opinion, Lieutenant Judd is an irresponsible aviator. No, he's a

good one, sir. Which is it, Lieutenant?

Sir, I'm a scorekeeper.

I'm qualified to judge whether a shooter hits the target.

Lieutenant Judd usually does.

There's no getting away from it, Cap.

Lieutenant Judd has a major rep as a cowboy.

Are you concerned with his reputation or the evidence?

Okay, let's talk evidence.

Flight records indicate he had a takeoff mishap on July 24th. He jettisoned his

external fuel tanks onto the runway.

He didn't check his drop tank switches?

I didn't see him. The warning lights were too dim.

The instrument panel was in full morning sun.

Too dim?

You never once considered pilot error?

I can tell the difference between a problem and an excuse.

Come on, one more.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, even if the downdraft can be proven, your ability to clear the ridge

before he did suggests he was late on his pull -up.

He's in trouble for being late?

If he wasn't pulling major Gs, why was Gerda blacking out?

I have no idea.

Yep, I'm just trying to make some sense of this.

You're looking for a bogey that isn't there, huh?

I'm not trying to be difficult, really.

Problem is...

I'm talking to you like we're still flying together.

I forget you gave up your wings.

I keep my hours up. I tell you, you still know how to lock in a target.

Some instincts you never lose, huh?

I had a good teacher.

When she walked in, I'm a brand new man.

Look at me now, I'm still bound.

Can't think of a thing to say, not a verb, I'm a verb, I'm a verb.

All I can say, all I can say, I'm a verb, I'm a verb. That's game.

That was fast.

Now, if you could play like you look. Hey, it'd be nice.

Got a need for competition, honey.

A little eight ball, Blevins?

I know that game.

You're out, Angie.

No, you can't do that. I came here to play pool. I want to play pool. The sign

on the door says, Ladies, welcome. That's why I'm here. It's a unisex team.

do you ever shut up?

You've had your shot. Now it's Blevins' turn.

Anyway, we play for drinks.

Why don't we play partners?

Or an eye against you two, if that's all right with you.

Can you play?

All right.

The question is, do you fly?

Sometimes.

What you riding?

Tomcats.

Ah,

hornet pilots.

But of course. Well, then we have to play.

Not for drinks.

Money?

Your boots.

My boots against your pants.

At her bra?

We got a deal.

Pay now.

Feel lucky?

Just figured out who you look like, sir.

He's an actor. He's in that medical drama. What was it called?

He did that episode where he had to stick his hands into the patient's chest

cavity and massage his heart.

I can't think of his name. I had his poster on my wall.

It's the eyes.

What?

Hey, Mac.

Stop by for a drink?

You know better than that.

Where's my head?

This is Lieutenant... Chiparelli.

Major McKenzie is defending Peter Judd.

Good evening, Major.

Good evening.

May I ask you what your duties are here, Lieutenant?

Sure. I work in the Public Affairs Office and I help out the Captain when I

I'm sorry, and what would that have to do with the Commander?

He needs help getting around?

Apparently not.

May I ask you what you mean by that, ma 'am?

Rack. We played pool tonight.

Beat the pants off a couple of flyers from El Toro.

Is that what you do in your spare time, Ciparelli? Hustle Marines?

No, ma 'am. I usually prefer a challenge.

We'll probably need a ride around nine, if that's all right with you.

Don't you need me to drive you back, sir?

No, I'll catch a ride with the Major.

I'll see you in the morning.

Good night, Lieutenant.

Could have been, sir.

Oh, gee.

I'm sorry, sir.

I didn't know you'd be here tonight.

It's okay, bud.

You bumped into Mac. Why shouldn't I bump into you tonight?

Well, I don't think your night's over yet, sir. I think you should take a look

at these wind conditions from the day of the accident.

Oh, no, wait. I'm sorry. That's not what I wanted to show you.

Wait. Ah, here it is.

Um, no.

Where did it... Bud, I'm losing brain cells every second.

Ah. Okay.

Here it is, sir.

Now, the updated convective segments noted area forecasts of clear air at the

ridge with wind gusts of up to 30 knots.

Now, since airflow is far worse on the leeward side of a ridge, and the captain

and Lieutenant Judd were ascending on the windward side of the ridge, that

that they were caught in an updraft.

Gusts on the windward side tend to force you up, not down.

Apparently, Lieutenant Judd and Captain Hulkhausen are confused what's out on

the mountain they were up on.

How can that be, sir?

How indeed, bud. How indeed.

Morning, Lieutenant.

Morning, sir.

You got a minute, Captain?

Yeah. Have a seat.

Can you give me a sense of the power of the downdraft the day of the accident?

Well, that would be a question for Lieutenant Judd.

You said you felt some turbulence, sir.

I shook a little.

How much is a little?

Where are you going with this?

Can you prove Lieutenant Judd was caught in a downdraft, sir?

No more than you could prove you and I having this conversation.

We are a witness to each other's story.

Well, I'm having problems with the story, Cap.

You're having problems believing me, and quite frankly, I'm resenting it.

Captain, I can personally attest to the aid and support you give your men.

But if you were helping Lieutenant Judd avoid responsibility, sir... The short

version, Commander.

You're protecting him.

From unfounded speculation. It is my job to investigate, Captain.

I have seen too many good pilots skewered by rulebook barons and ignorant

If you don't give a man room to make mistakes, you take away his ability to

learn from him. What consequences?

You don't believe a man should learn the price of his mistakes?

You remember when you almost lost your flight status because of the high noon

gunnery competition?

Judge declared you were shooting inside the minimum range.

The command was unwilling to tolerate a major safety violation.

Until it was determined I was within range, Captain. Until I convinced him it

didn't matter.

You were the best aviator out there.

You deserved a second chance.

I saved your windswept butt, Commander.

Morning, Lieutenant.

Hello, sir.

Thanks a lot.

No problem.

Good day, sir.

Well, you surprised me, bud. I didn't think you had much faith in the

lieutenant's driving.

The tech pub library is only a mile and a half away, sir.

And I took my contacts out before I got in.

What were you doing at the library?

I was reading up on some aircraft maintenance manuals to see if anything

out at me.

Do you know there's such a thing as a G measuring device?

Yeah, it's a gauge on the instrument panel.

Yes, sir, but that one can be reset by the pilots.

What I'm talking about is a thing called a...

A statistical accelerometer.

Statistical accelerometer? Where have I been, bud?

It's a little device that... Yeah, it's a device, a maintenance cruise for the

wheel well. It keeps a permanent record of vertical velocity.

This will dispel or substantiate Gerda's claim that they were pulling major Gs.

That's exactly what I was thinking, sir. Good work, bud.

Great work, bud.

Morning, Chief. How are you doing today?

I could be richer and younger, but I have a good time, sir. How's it coming

the post -mortem? Well, sir, I could tell you she crashed and burned.

You didn't happen to find a statistical accelerometer? In fact, we did. You want

to take a peek, Commander?

The crew found her in a scorpion nest about a quarter mile away.

Hell of a scorpion.

Okay. Final numbers show at the time she hit the pole she was pulling. Let's

see.

7Gs.

Wow.

That'll suck the enamel right off your teeth.

Can I see that, Chief, sir?

That would confirm Lieutenant Gerter's story, wouldn't it, sir?

One for the evidence box, bud.

Thanks, Chief.

Lieutenant Judd was in a 7G pullout. There's no way he was on Captain

Hawthouse's wing. Looks to me, Mack, like your guy was playing catch -up.

Grayed out and lost control.

Grayed out?

Heavy Gs near the cone of vision, ma 'am. Without peripheral spectrum, you're

flying with blinders.

That's speculation, Commander.

Rio testified that he was hot -dogging, and this proves he was pulling major Gs.

Well, what about the captain?

What about him? Did his plane have a statistical accelerometer?

I'm sorry, but the device seems to be missing.

How could that happen?

Don't know, ma 'am.

That's an inadequate answer, Petty Officer Revis. I'm inclined to agree

you, ma 'am.

I wish I could be more helpful.

I'm as confused as you are.

Maintenance personnel are the only ones with official access to the aircraft.

Incorrect, Mac.

You're forgetting pilots.

Thanks, Revis.

Oh, you are reaching.

There is no way that Lieutenant Judd could attempt to be able to... Did I say

that? I think the Major's right, sir.

The fact is, I think the Captain... Lieutenant.

Yes, sir? Do you mind if I talk while you interrupt?

Sorry, sir.

Now, bud, I think you and I concur.

It is conceivable that the hawk, knowing he was pulling less cheese, took his

own statistical accelerometer to protect his wingman.

But if it's missing, we can't substantiate that.

Yes, we can.

You want to bring me up to speed, Commander?

I don't know if you want to go this fast, Mac.

This is a hell of a way to waste taxpayer dollars.

We want an exact duplicate of the strike exercise on the day of the accident.

Wind conditions won't duplicate.

Let's do it anyway.

Your call, Commander.

You know, Mac, if you're not feeling up to it, it's not too late to have someone

more experienced put them back together.

Are you suggesting I can't handle this?

Don't simplify me on this one, Mac. She's no biplane.

They put me through the drill. I know what buttons to push.

Okay. Well, they're not alive.

Hey, Matt, how you doing?

Matt?

Yeah.

You all right?

You hear it?

Yeah.

Two, this is Lee. I'm popping up. Roll into the left.

Target inside.

Roger, one.

The door noted 10 feet at 9 o 'clock.

Good for you, Mick.

Just cleared it, didn't you?

That would be correct.

Yeah.

Sudden downdraft, you would have popped that pole.

Looks that way.

Listen, I want to let this go and put it behind us, okay?

Let's take him in.

Which one of those landings should I count?

Now, that I didn't expect.

As I've been saying, we all make our share of mistakes.

It's called being human.

Oh, I'm going to drain a draft. Anybody want to join me?

No, I'm going to stay with the Major, Cap. You go on.

How are you feeling, Major?

Later.

I apologize for all the flying jokes I ever made.

How many G's was that?

Twelve million?

Seven G's.

Lieutenant Judd was following his leader over the ridge.

What are you talking about?

The captain had to pull seven Gs just to clear it.

He never specified his G count on the question.

The hawk didn't steal the statistical accelerometer to protect Judd. He did it

to divert attention from himself.

What? He almost got away with it, too.

You're losing me. I probably would have overlooked it if he hadn't landed high.

That's a mistake reserved for rookies or veterans with diminishing skills.

And? If a young buck like Gerder passes out at 7 G's, what do you think that'll

do to a man 20 years his senior?

Yeah, but he was okay up there. Until touchdown.

Captain's vulnerable to mistakes.

The kind of mistakes that cause one to misjudge landings and to hide a

lines. Are you saying that he led Lieutenant John into that pole?

Stay in between your legs and breathe deep. It'll pass in a couple minutes.

is what you're saying. That's incredible.

Your investigation just changed from wingman to leader. That would put us on

same side, Harm.

Where are you going?

To test my theory.

Take a stroll?

You spent a lot of time with Captain. I shouldn't have kissed you, sir. It was a

teenage stunt.

Incredibly stupid. There was no excuse for it. And I'm so mad at myself because

I... You seized the moment.

That's why you're an officer.

Now, what can you tell me about Captain Hawkeye? It might help me with my

investigation.

Like what, sir?

I see you're having problems. Problems with mental alertness?

No, sir.

What about sleep?

Is he getting up? Does he appear fatigued?

No, sir.

Problems with his eyesight?

Lieutenant.

Sir, the captain knows what he's doing. Yeah, but can he see what he's doing up

there? You take him out of the plane, he'll die.

Let me die if I don't take him out. Let me take a couple people with him.

Now, specifically, Lieutenant, what do you know?

Well, sir, between you and me... For the record.

Sir, you're not making this easy.

I think the captain cheats on his eye exam.

He's been doing it the last few years.

He told you this?

No. I overheard him on the phone with another senior aviator. They...

They trade techniques on how to pass the test.

Like what? I don't know.

I just get bits and pieces. Sir, if you think this has anything to do... Thank

you, Lieutenant.

I appreciate your care.

What do you want to talk to our pimp retiree for?

Is your life that uninteresting?

How's the new hipster?

Indestructible. The flesh and bone around him, that disintegrating.

Cognac? No, thank you, Admiral.

Well, I'm not going to ask if you'll mind if I indulge, because frankly, I

give a damn.

How long has it been?

Since I graduated flight school, sir.

Bet you thought you'd be landing on my grave site.

Oh, it is my personal belief, Admiral, that you will outlast us all.

Rose it.

Having fun at Washington?

Are you jigging and jagging?

Oh, it's stimulating, sir. What about your old man?

You any closer to finding out what happened to him? Or are those stiffs on

hill still running you around?

I have some new leads.

Here's to the hammer.

Wherever he may be.

Oh, why am I talking to you, Hammond Ratton?

You flew into your 50s, right?

One of the few.

You ever have any problems with your eyesight?

I didn't.

Base optometrists fail to agree.

You ever fudge an eye exam?

Are your peepers going?

No, sir. I'm investigating a crash.

I know about it.

Terrible thing.

No, Commander, I did not.

Know anyone who did?

Well, it's been known to be done.

The majority stepped down when it's time.

What do you know about the techniques used?

About Gary Hochhausen.

Yes, sir.

Good man.

Your friend.

Two civilians died, Admiral.

Bring the heat now. Come on.

Come on.

Now watch it.

There you go.

Let the old man show you. Come on.

Whoa.

Arm. What, are you joining us for dinner?

Can we have a word in private, Cap?

Is that a no?

This is official, sir.

It is my personal belief that you are now and were at the time of the training

accident physically unsuitable to be flying Category 1.

What are you talking about?

I'm in better shape than my trainees.

I didn't come here to argue with you, Captain.

I came here to tell you that this makes you personally culpable in the

accidental deaths of Melanie and Joshua Lanier.

Now, if you cooperate, I can talk to Admiral Oxley.

He'll support your resignation and you can escape public humility. Dump the

attitude, Commander, and get the hell out of my shorts. What is this crap?

I need you to trust me on this. You want to kick my ass into oblivion? Why am I

even talking to you? Because you're in deep trouble and I'm trying to help. Let

me explain how that works. Don't try to exploit my loyalty. I'm not Lieutenant

Judd. No, you definitely are not.

And you convinced him he could take a fall and not jeopardize his career.

And then he covered your tracks by stealing the statistical accelerometer

your own aircraft.

What the hell happened to you, Captain?

You were the most squared -away officer I ever met. What change that would cause

you to place your flight status above your principles?

Nothing changed.

I

haven't

lost a skill, an instinct, or a millisecond off my reaction time. I know

hard it is to give it up, Captain. I've been there.

I don't have to give anything up.

I'm every damn bit as good as I've ever been. And I can do it with my eyes

closed and my stick between my toes.

We all have our limitations, sir. Even you.

Well, that's the difference between you and me, Commander. I overcame mine.

I'm still in the air.

Hey, what if that were your wife and child in that car?

You do what you have to do.

My story stands.

You were handiworked, Lieutenant?

I don't have to speak to you, sir.

That's okay.

I'll do the talking.

I'd like to tell you a story.

It's about a young aviator who was mentored by a senior instructor.

This mentor liked this young man very much.

So much so that he covered for the aviator's occasional mistakes.

It came to pass, however, that the mentor himself made a mistake.

So he went to his protege and he asked him to return the favor.

The problem was it was a big mistake.

People died.

The question for the aviator now was, should he stand by the man who stood by

him?

Or should he do what he felt was right in his heart?

You know who I'm talking about, Lieutenant?

No, sir. I'm talking about myself.

And I've made my decision.

Care to know what it is?

Ted Lanier deserves to know the truth about the death of his family. I owe him

that as a human being, as a representative of my country, and as a

to one day have a wife and child of his own.

You can relate to that, can't you?

Excuse me, sir.

I have to use the head.

You wanted to see me, Major?

At ease.

Lieutenant, I think it's time we patched things up.

I'd like that, ma 'am.

Admiral Loxley's decided to send the charges to an Article 32 hearing.

How did that involve me?

The commander has informed me that you have possible incriminating evidence

involving Captain Hawkinson.

Sorry, Lieutenant.

I'm obligated to reveal new information to opposing counsel.

You want me to testify against my mentor?

If it means clearing Lieutenant Judd of sole responsibility, yes.

If it wasn't for Captain Hochhausen... This is bigger than your relationship

with the Captain, Lieutenant.

Pardon me, sir, but aren't you speaking for yourself?

There's a difference between loyalty and being indebted to someone.

The Captain would have us believe they're one and the same.

Permission to speak freely, sir?

This sucks.

At that point, a severe downdraft swept under my fuselage and caught Lieutenant

Judge Tomcat, which dropped approximately 10 meters, causing it to

telephone pole at the western edge of the ridge.

Let the record reflect that I'm handing the witness exhibit one.

A report from base weather control stating turbulence was on the eastern

the ridge. The western or windward side was not considered hazardous to even

private, let alone supersonic aircraft.

Weather control was not flying with us, Commander.

Were you suggesting the downdraft was undetectable, Captain? By electronic

instrumentation.

You mean like a phantom wind cap?

No, it was quite real.

Sir, isn't Lieutenant Judd using this wind to avoid a charge of pilot error?

It wasn't pilot error. It was a downdraft magnified by my weight

could sense it.

It was there.

If the prosecution is finished, the defense would like to call to the stand

Lieutenant Tina Schiaparelli.

Prosecution is not yet finished, Counselor.

Captain, I'd like to discuss those senses.

Isn't it true, sir, that on the day of the accident, your diminished depth

perception caused you to lead Lieutenant Judd to a point too close to the ridge?

And that it was this action, not the wind conditions, which caused him to

neither the time nor the space he needed to avoid striking the top of the

telephone pole?

No, Commander, that is not true.

Let the record reflect that I am submitting Exhibit 2, Stipulation of

signed by myself and Major McKenzie, stating that on the day of the flight

recreation, Captain Hawkinson seriously misjudged his landing.

You've never done that, Commander?

Yes, sir, I have.

And as a result, I no longer fly at night.

Captain, what is the general visual response to heavy G -forces?

The cone of vision is narrowed, peripherals are reduced.

Is this why all pilots undergo such rigorous eye exams?

It is.

What is your vision, Cap?

20 -20.

Are you familiar with a technique called the deep squeeze?

I am not.

Apparently, you squeeze your eyes with your lid shut.

Momentarily changes the shape of the eyeball.

Gives you one second of 20 -20 vision, enough time to read an eye chart.

Are you familiar with the technique now that I've described it, Cap?

No. I'm told some senior aviators use it to pass their eye exam.

None that I know of. Let the record reflect that I am standing on a line

previously marked by the base ophthalmologist.

This is a common eye chart, Cap. I know what it is.

Please read the fifth line for me, sir.

These are not clinical conditions.

The doctor has assured me this is efficient, Cap. Please.

F -Z -B -D -E.

Very good, sir. Next two lines.

H -O -F -L -C -T -A -P -E -O -T -F -Q.

And now the 20 -20 line.

T -Z -V -E -C -L -G -N.

There's another technique I haven't yet mentioned.

Since these eye charts are relatively uniform, the individual simply memorizes

them.

Read the line again, Cap.

I -F -L -Y -N -A -V -Y.

The line was altered, Captain.

I submit to the convening authority that Captain Gary Hawkinson...

was unable to properly determine the correct range of the oncoming ridge,

endangering his wingman in the process and inadvertently causing the deaths of

Melanie and Joshua Lanier.

Unusual prosecutorial approach, Commander. I couldn't do it to her, Mac.

She agreed to testify.

Yeah, it would have been like putting a knife in the hand of Brutus.

So you stabbed him yourself?

I would have preferred to do it my way.

Well, we both lost, Mac.

Lieutenant Judd lied.

He was manipulated.

She's still faith in disciplinary action.

Good day for flying.

Or thinking.

You torpedoed me, Commander.

We have to do what we have to do, Captain.

Combat ended in life.

Who fed you that load?

You did, first time I met you.

Well, at least I went down in a dogfight.

I know this changes things, Captain.

Doesn't mean that one day we can't mend fences.

Yes, it does.