Battle-damaged C-5 repaired, ready for duty

  • Published
  • By Lisa Mathews
  • Warner Robins Air Logistics Center Maintenance Directorate
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  Workers in the C-5 Galaxy production branch here feel closer to the warfighter now that they have completed battle-damage repair on the C-5 hit by a missile shortly after takeoff in Iraq on Jan. 8.

The aircraft left the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center on Feb. 23 -- two days ahead of schedule.

The aircraft, retrieved from Baghdad by a team from the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron, returned here Jan. 21.

Before its return, 653rd CLSS workers made temporary repairs to the plane so it could be flown. Once here, the C-5 production branch workers took over and made permanent repairs to return the aircraft to Air Mobility Command and get it back into the airlift rotation.

The work on the battle-damaged aircraft did not interrupt normally scheduled work, said Al Hainse, C-5 production manager.

“Some of the guys from the 653rd CLSS who went over there and actually got the plane helped work the damage,” he said. “It was civil-service and active-duty [people] working side by side not only to get this aircraft back to AMC on time, but two days early.”

The workers were enthusiastic about the aircraft, said David Johnson, a C-5 planner.

“Working on something that was actually in battle brought out their pride,” he said. “They were interested in getting it back to the warfighter as soon as possible.”

With the large troop rotation planned in the near future, it was important to have the plane completed and back to AMC as soon as possible, Mr. Johnson said.