The August crash of an Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter occurred because the pilot mistakenly engaged in a maneuver to avoid a perceived mid-air collision, the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported Jan. 21. Technical Sgt. Mark Smith, a crewmember, died in the crash. The incident occurred on Okinawa during a training mission, heightening the concerns among residents of the Japanese island prefecture about the safety of U.S. military air operations. “There actually wasn’t any danger” of a collision, Col. Jeffrey Ullmann, commander of the Kadena-based 18th Mission Support Group, told Stars and Stripes.