Overcoming adversity - Crew chief keeps mission flying

Published Feb. 4, 2014
By Tech. Sgt. Shane Ellis
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

KEY WEST, Fla -- The top of the forward fuselage began to vibrate and rumble loudly as the aircrew flew their jet 10,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. The sound lasted for a little more than a minute - then it was gone. This had started as a routine training mission, and the crew had started their decent toward Key West before this troubling event occurred. No warning lights or sirens went off, but the crew knew something had just happened to the aircraft.

Maj. Rob McGrath, 701st Airlift Squadron aircraft commander, was one of six pilots on board the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from Joint Base Charleston, S.C. when the event occurred, and he knew what had to be done.

"Our first thought was that we had a dropped object," said McGrath. "The first thing we did was mark the spot, which was over the Gulf of Mexico. We also immediately slowed down the airplane to take off stress in the event we did have structural damage. The plane handled great and we landed at our destination safely."

Flying with the Reserve crew from the 315th Airlift Wing was Staff Sgt. Ethan Hipple, a flying crew chief with the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at JBC.

Hipple was able to gain access to the top of the aircraft and confirmed that a dropped object had occurred.

"There was a torn and missing section of the aircraft's aerial refueling light," said Hipple. "This was a first for me and the crew, and I knew it could potentially take some time to get the problem fixed and have the plane back in the sky."

Even though this was a standard training mission, the mission also doubled as a humanitarian aid mission. Missions like these are due to the Denton Amendment, which is a State Department/U.S. Aid program that allows the 315 AW to deliver donated humanitarian aid around the globe on space available military aircraft.

These missions have a very clear window of opportunity. With only two hours plus or minus to deliver the cargo on time, any delays in the mission could require more coordination between the U.S. Embassy and Honduras, which was this cargo's destination point.

On the ground at Key West Naval Air Station, Hipple immediately jumped into action. He made a detailed report of the problem, which included parts, equipment and manpower to fix the aircraft.

With his report in hand, Hipple started making phone calls. He had conversations with teammates at Air Mobility Command, Joint Base Charleston and Boeing. He needed experts to help assess the situation, and he knew two of them personally - Master Sgt. Christopher Ressa and Master Sgt. Raymond Westcott.

As production supervisors from the 437 AMXS, Hipple works closely with them on a routine basis. Ressa and Westcott were able to help coordinate the event with engineers at Boeing. They reviewed the problem and sent Hipple a detailed report with specific instructions on how to temporarily repair the broken aircraft and keep it on its mission.

Thinking outside of the box, Hipple worked with employees at Key West International Airport to ensure he had everything he needed to perform the job at hand. Working through the night and early into the morning, he was able to make the necessary repairs with only minutes to spare to keep the mission on schedule with no flight restrictions.

According to Hipple, getting the aircraft back in the air was a simple process that involved great teamwork and communication.

"I've been flying as a crew chief for the past four years, and I'm comfortable in my job," he said. "I know that no matter where I am I have the support, skills and knowledge to keep our Air Force missions moving forward. In situations like this, the extra level of support needed was only a few phone calls away."

All off station training missions fly with a flying crew chief. It's his or her job to keep the aircraft moving forward safely and on time. It's not uncommon for FCCs to have a great opportunity to showcase exactly why they were chosen to do what they do.

"I'm very impressed with our crew chief's motivation," said McGrath. "He worked through the night while we were in crew rest, and he completed the repair 30 minutes before our scheduled show time. It took a team effort to get the aircraft fixed, but it was his hard work and dedication that allowed us to take off on time. He's the true hero on this mission."