Maintainers work around the clock to return aircraft to flight

Airman 1st Class Christopher McKinstry, 728th Air Mobility Squadron Operating Location-Alpha engine mechanic, disconnects engine components prior to removal at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 13, 2013. An engine change takes approximately 24 hours of maintenance work to complete. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Thomas Albrecht)

Maintainers work around the clock to return aircraft to flight

Left, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lamica, 728th Air Mobility Squadron Operating Location-Alpha engine mechanic, and Staff Sgt. Phillip Budlong, 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron engine mechanic, position a new engine prior for installation at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 13, 2013. Budlong is part of a maintenance recovery team from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, that was called upon to assist with an engine change on a C-17 Globemaster III following damage to its number four engine. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. James Herron)

Maintainers work around the clock to return aircraft to flight

Left to right, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lamica, Airman 1st Class Christopher McKinstry, Staff Sgt. Andrea Gentsy, Senior Airman Edwin Carrasquillo, Senior Airman Kevin Baker and Staff Sgt. Phillip Budlong, all members of an engine repair team, pause work on an engine change to take a group photo at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 13, 2013. Repair teams from the Transit Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and a base in Southwest Asia worked around the clock to complete an engine change, a procedure that doesn’t often happen in a deployed environment. Team members not pictured are: Staff Sgt. Angel Jarramillo, Senior Airman Tiffany Windsor and Airman 1st Class Heather Lopez. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Clinton ZumBrunnen)

Maintainers work around the clock to return aircraft to flight

Published Jan. 14, 2013
By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Martinez
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Foreign object debris, or FOD, can cost millions of dollars in damage and numerous maintenance hours to repair. Despite efforts to minimize FOD, damage does happen occasionally.

On Jan. 11, 2013, a C-17 Globemaster III suffered FOD damage to one of its engines. With the aircraft playing a major role in the Transit Center at Manas airlift mission, maintenance crews from the 728th Air Mobility Squadron Operating Location-Alpha jumped into action to replace the engine and return the aircraft to the fight.

After engine shut down, one large and several small pieces of titanium were found behind the number four engine and on the taxiway leading to the parking spot.

"We can only speculate at this time what this piece of metal was that caused the damage because there were no identifying markings on the metal," said Maj. Thomas Albrecht, 728 AMS/OL-A aircraft maintenance officer in charge. "We believe the metal was sitting on the runway and when our aircraft landed and deployed the thrust reversers, the downward deflected air from the engine kicked up the piece of metal, which was then ingested by the engine."

A thorough inspection revealed extensive cuts and dents around the engine inlet, as well as dozens of damaged fan blades. Fortunately, there was no internal damage to the engine. However, the external damage could not be repaired with personnel and equipment on site, so a new engine and specialized maintenance teams were ordered from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and an air base in Southwest Asia.

"Our personnel are limited based on the mission here," said Albrecht. "We probably could have done the engine swap, but it's always better to have specialists who have done it multiple times. So we asked for a team of four."

With the request put in Saturday, the engine and maintenance teams arrived Sunday and went straight to work on the engine swap, a task that takes approximately 24 hours to complete.

"That's 24-hours straight of maintenance," said Albrecht. "That's why it's always best to have a team of four folks. When the teams got here, two went right to work and the other two went to bed so they could swap out later."

Around the clock maintenance operations can be more challenging in location such as the Transit Center where all maintenance is performed outdoors.

"Our biggest problem is freezing temperatures," Albrecht said. "Temps were in the teens last night so there was additional work to get heaters out there. Our maintainers are tough and will work through it, but we also have a work/rest cycle to make sure our folks get a break from the chilly temperatures."

Early Monday, the maintainers were performing engine runs to check the new engine, completing the maintenance is a little more than 24 hours.

"Although this was not the first time an engine was changed at Manas, this was the first time for members of this rotation," said Albrecht. "I'm proud of the camaraderie and teamwork displayed by all involved. The perseverance of each engine change team member led to the quick recovery of this aircraft and the return of a valuable asset to support our airlift mission."