Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell: The A-10 Pilot Who Refused to Give Up
Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell: The A-10 Pilot Who Refused to Give Up
Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell: The A-10 Pilot Who Refused to Give Up
On April 7, 2003, during the Iraq War, U.S. Air Force Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell was flying an A-10 Thunderbolt II, popularly known as the Warthog, over Baghdad on a close-air-support mission.
American ground troops were under attack and urgently needed air support. Campbell had just completed a rocket attack against an enemy position when disaster struck.
A surface-to-air missile slammed into the rear of her aircraft, sending shrapnel through the fuselage and tail and destroying both of the A-10’s hydraulic systems.
Suddenly, the aircraft’s normal flight controls stopped responding. The wounded A-10 rolled sharply to the left and began pointing toward the Tigris River, leaving Campbell facing a desperate situation over hostile territory.
The emergency procedure for a complete hydraulic failure was straightforward: eject.
But Campbell knew that abandoning the aircraft could leave her parachuting into Baghdad, where she risked capture. Instead, she made the extraordinary decision to try to bring the damaged aircraft home.
Flying Without Hydraulics
Campbell turned to the A-10’s emergency manual-reversion system, which allows the aircraft to be controlled mechanically through cables and linkages when hydraulic assistance is lost.
Flying the aircraft in this configuration was extremely difficult. Campbell had to use considerable physical effort to control the damaged Warthog while dealing with an aircraft that had suffered catastrophic damage.
With her flight lead beside her, providing guidance and helping her assess the situation, Campbell slowly regained control of the aircraft.
Despite its severe damage, the A-10 began climbing away from Baghdad.
Campbell then embarked on a remarkable journey back to safety, flying the crippled aircraft approximately 300 miles for nearly an hour to a U.S. base in Kuwait.
When the damaged A-10 finally arrived, ground crews discovered the extent of the punishment it had absorbed. The aircraft had more than 100 holes in its airframe, including a huge, roughly football-sized hole through the right horizontal stabilizer.
The aircraft had also lost its hydraulic systems and brakes.
Yet Campbell managed to bring it down safely, completing what was described as an exceptionally skilled landing.
A Distinguished Flying Career
For her courage, composure and exceptional airmanship during the mission, Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
She went on to serve for more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force, eventually retiring as a colonel.
The A-10 that carried her through that extraordinary mission never returned to service. A section of its tail was later preserved by Campbell, giving her a tangible reminder of the aircraft that helped bring her home.
Captain Kim Campbell’s story has since become one of the remarkable chapters in the history of the A-10 Warthog and a powerful example of courage under extreme pressure, technical skill and the determination to keep fighting when the situation appears almost impossible.
On that day over Baghdad, Campbell faced a choice between abandoning her aircraft and attempting something extraordinarily difficult.
She chose to fight for a way home—and brought her Warthog back safely.
Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell: The A-10 Pilot Who Refused to Give Up
