Harm's flight school roommate, Lt. Luke Pendry, crashed during a simulated mission using the Navy's newly-installed APTERN system. Harm and Meg are sent to investigate. Harm has to determine whether the crash was due to pilot error, as the manufacturer claims, or whether there is a serious flaw with APTERN. As the investigation proceeds, they uncover evidence that has the potential to smear the dead pilot's reputation. In the end, Harm has to discover the truth the hard way, by recreating Luke Pendry's last mission.
