On July 20, Capt. Brett DeVries of the Michigan Air National Guard’s 107th Fighter Squadron was lining up his A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” for a routine training mission at Grayling Air Gunnery Range. As he fired his A-10’s 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon during a normal strafing run, his wingman Maj. Shannon Vickers reported a brief “donut of gas” around the cockpit. Seconds later, the A-10’s massive cannon malfunctioned and the aircraft’s canopy sheared off.