Team deploys to recover damaged C-130 Hercules

  • Published
  • By Capt. Aaron Burgstein
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  When an aircraft breaks while away from home station, emergency care is just a call away. In the case of a C-130 Hercules that was hit by enemy fire recently, that help came from maintenance recovery team Airmen at a forward-deployed location.

“Anytime an aircraft breaks off-station, anywhere in the world, we form (a recovery team) to go out and fix the aircraft,” said Maj. Matthew Gamblin, the team’s chief. “This time was a little different due to the nature of the damage.”

That damage to the engine was caused by enemy ground fire and subsequent blaze. The aircraft had diverted to an alternate field in northern Iraq, where it awaited the team. Within hours, the team was on the way.

“Once we got (there), the first thing we did was assess the damage to see if we could fix it ourselves or if we’d have to call in a aircraft battle damage repair team from depot,” Major Gamblin said. “(We) needed to take the engine down to determine if the structure behind it was repairable.”

To help with any situation, the team comprised four security forces and 13 maintainers. This included one of every type of mechanic you would see on the flightline plus extra engine specialists because they knew the engine would need special attention, he said.

Tech. Sgt. Paul Okon was one of three engine technicians deployed with the team.

“Our main purpose was to evaluate the support structure when we took [the] engine off and ensure it was serviceable so we could put a new engine on,” he said.

Besides the engine, there were other areas that had to be checked.

“Probably the biggest thing was looking over the fire damage,” Major Gamblin said. “You can’t always tell (the extent of the damage) without ripping open things and seeing the structure underneath.”

The extent of the damage was surprising to many of the Airmen on the team, said Tech. Sgt Richard Bobber, an electro-environmental technician.

“It was pretty amazing to see what (the enemy fire) did to the engine and what it could have done,” he said. “It’s amazing that no more damage was done and that the crew was (able to get) the aircraft down [safely].”

To make matters more difficult, the aircraft was not at a base with regular maintenance facilities, and repairs could only be accomplished from dawn to dusk.

“Doing (the repairs) in a hostile environment put a lot more pressure on,” said Tech. Sgt. John Miller, a hydraulics technician. “(This) was the first time I’d been (in Iraq). But it’s something you get used to.”

However, it all came down to the team evaluating whether the aircraft could be fixed at the austere, forward-deployed location deep in Iraq. The team agreed it could be done, said Major Gamblin.

“The biggest challenge of any operation outside the norm ... is dealing with the environment,” Major Gamblin said. “It was a hostile environment which was always in the back of our minds. Nonetheless we had to ... make sure we had the right things to repair it safely.”

Within 48 hours of the team’s arrival, the engine had been changed, other maintenance areas were checked, repaired and determined to be safe, and the aircraft was flyable.

“Being on an MRT is not about a reward; it’s about us going someplace to fix an aircraft and getting that aircraft and crew back home,” Tech. Sgt. Rich Bobber said. “The whole team worked really hard, pulled together and accomplished a lot in the short time we had.”