There are days in the wireline oilfield when everything runs smooth—clean logs, clear signals, on-depth shots. Then there are days like this one—when the job reminds you why wireline control systems, procedures, and checklists aren’t just paperwork. They’re survival.

We were on a horizontal wireline job, setting plugs and running a multi-stage wireline perforating operation on a cased hole well. Our wireline unit was running as expected. Logging cable tension was stable, tools were rigged properly, the perforating gun was armed and ready for the zone listed on the shoot sheet.

The plan was to hit the zone at 11,378 feet. But something felt off as we started to pump down the toolstring. At around 10,250 feet, the CCL signal weakened, and casing collars stopped showing up. I halted the pump rate immediately. Looking back now, I realize that moment should’ve triggered a complete stop to reassess everything.

Instead, I reviewed the previous stage logs, which—surprisingly—showed the stage ending at 10,380 feet. That’s when the truth hit me. The plug from the previous stage had been set 1,000 feet too shallow. And worse, I had repeated the same error. I had just fired the perf guns at the wrong depth.

This wasn’t just an error—it was an off-depth perforation (ODP). And the fracture stage had already been completed. A full frac stage pumped into the wrong zone. That’s more than a misfire—it’s a hit to formation evaluation, a disruption to production logging services, and a failure in operational control.

Where did it go wrong?

I skipped some of the most basic wireline procedures. I didn’t compare the shoot sheet with the acquisition system before setting the plug. I failed to get verbal confirmation from the field rep. I didn’t double-check the actual stop depth against the perforation strategy. And in a final misstep, I shot on the fly—without pause, without a final depth check, and without full alignment.

In wireline services oil and gas, especially in pump down perforating, these aren’t small oversights—they’re dangerous. Whether you’re working with cased hole logging or wireline perforating systems, any break from protocol can result in costly setbacks. In this case, the mistake could’ve easily been prevented with the right discipline—something we emphasize constantly in wireline courses and oil field safety training.

I think about the wireline companies, the service providers, the engineers just starting out in the wireline business. The number one thing I’d share is this: your tools, your wireline truck, even your wireline gun—they don’t run the job. You do. And if you’re not focused, no amount of advanced wireline technologies or downhole tools will keep things on track.

We use wireline tools to guide where and how we fire. Logging cable feeds us data. Wireline well logging gives us the depth references. Yet even with all that technology, nothing replaces the importance of following procedures—every single time.

That day, my failure to follow those steps was a lesson I won’t forget. Whether it’s setting plugs, completing perforation services, running pipe caliper tools for a caliper log, or even supporting cased hole logging service markets—everything in this industry relies on one thing: doing it right the first time.

The wireline service companies out there delivering integrity wireline and complete wireline solutions? They don’t do it by chance. They do it by checking every box, every run, every shot. Because in wireline, if you’re off by a foot—you might as well be off by a mile.

Let that be the reminder: trust the process, not your assumptions. Depth matters. Procedure matters. And in this line of work, there’s no such thing as “close enough.”