Road to recovery ; Officials discuss C-5 recovery at Dover

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James Wilkinson
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Crash-recovery experts from Dover Air Force Base and Robins AFB, Ga., discussed C-5 recovery operations Wednesday morning at the recovery site here.

Exactly one month since a C-5 aircraft landed less than a mile short of the runway near Dover AFB's southern perimeter - which all 17 people on board survived - site recovery leaders and specialists discussed the current status of the recovery efforts.

"We started the recovery effort the same day of the mishap and have been working everyday since," said Maj. Rob Triplett, 436th Maintenance Squadron commander and director of the mishap recovery effort, during his opening statement. "Safety has been our number-one priority. During the recovery, our team's primary focus, besides safety, was to preserve vital evidence for the safety investigation board."

An 11-person team from the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron out of Robins AFB along with C-5 engineers and maintenance personnel from Dover are conducting a thorough recovery of the aircraft.

"The most difficult part (of the recovery) is coming up with all the variables and solutions to problems," said Chief Master Sgt. Jon Lynn, 436th MXS superintendent, who has been leading the recovery effort since the day of the mishap. "It takes teamwork to get everybody together to decide what the best plan and the best course of action are to take."

Recovery efforts included removing the remaining fuel onboard, engines, left wing tip and cargo. The combined efforts thus far have taken a total of approximately 21 workdays to complete.

"Some fuel was spilled, but we were able to recover the majority of the fuel from the aircraft itself," said Major Triplett. "Protecting the environment and protecting the community is a high priority. Their safety is of the utmost importance."

The base is currently coordinating with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Controls concerning any environmental cleanup issues on base.

"The agreement at this point is that once the aircraft and the parts are gone, we will do a full assessment in close coordination with DNREC to make a decision on what type of remediation methods will be used for the cleanup," said Lt. Col. Mark Ruse, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron commander.

The nose section was moved first to make room for equipment to level the aircraft, said Major Triplett. The aircraft needed to be leveled to stabilize the airframe and to remove the cargo and engines. Hydraulic jacks were used to level the aircraft, which was supported by more than 1,000 railroad ties.

"We were able to remove the cargo. Any cargo that was damaged will go back to the shipping activity to be either repaired or replaced," said the major. "The cargo that was undamaged was put back into the system for movement to its destination."

The crew compartment - weighing more than 13,000 pounds - was removed with a crane. The compartment, once released by the Accident Investigation Board, is expected to be delivered to Robins AFB and used as a training simulator, according to Major Triplett.

Once the investigation board releases the aircraft, recovery experts anticipate they will be able to reuse approximately 1,100 parts after they have undergone extensive inspections.

Some parts expected to be reused are flight control surfaces, and the remainder of the aircraft will be salvaged on site, the major said.

Heavy equipment such as cranes, forklifts and high-reach vehicles are being used to remove and salvage the aircraft. Experts are also using powered saws to cut up the structure where necessary.

"When tornados came through New Castle, we actually cut one of the C-130s up (with saws). It took two people 29 days to (remove) the aircraft," said Senior Master Sgt. Steve McConnell, 653rd CLSS aircraft recovery expert, referring to a tornado that touched down at New Castle Air National Guard Base and damaged five C-130H aircraft Sep. 28, 2004. "Here, we're working on a larger scale, so we're looking at a larger timeframe right now."

All parts of the aircraft will remain on the site until released by the Accident Investigation Board.

Once the investigations are complete, the detailed results from the accident investigation are estimated to be released in about three months.