An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Airmen put C-130 back in the fight

  • Published
  • By Capt. Teresa Sullivan
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  When a 379th Air Expeditionary Wing C-130 team went out on a transport mission recently, they never thought they'd end up changing an engine on a deserted strip of land outside Shindand, Afghanistan. 

The C-130 was en route to Shindand on a combat mission when they began having engine trouble. The crew decided the safe thing to do would be to land and try to troubleshoot the issue. 

"The number two engine bogged down so it was determined that we needed to have a maintenance repair team change it out. Everyone showed extraordinary determination and ingenuity to overcome every obstacle considering the circumstances," said Lt. Col. Kalen Jeffers, 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assistant deputy commander from Rayne, La. "Our Airmen are capable of anything." 

Shindand is in a remote area of the Herat Province in western Afghanistan, 70 miles from the Iranian border - and a long way from the support the Airmen are accustomed to. 

The team had their work cut out for them at the abandoned air strip with no logistical or administrative support, billeting or other facilities. 

"We knew this was going to be tough. Austere doesn't even begin to describe this place," said the colonel. 

Despite the obstacles ahead, the team came up with a plan to have a maintenance repair team from nearby Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, deliver a new engine, power cart, engine stands and a light cart to help fix the aircraft. The maintainers from Bagram were able to troubleshoot the problem and relay the information back to the aircraft maintenance unit back at the wing. 

What they found was a cracked tail pipe and a damaged fire wall around the engine diffuser which was allowing "bleed air," or compressed air taken from the engine, to leak out. The Bagram maintenance team began preparations for repair until the 379th AEW maintenance team arrived on site. 

"Once our maintainers arrived, they all worked together to replace the engine," said the colonel of the 379th AEW and Bagram Airmen. "They re-hung the prop, ran the engines, packed everything up, loaded the Bagram team's equipment onto their C-130 and our equipment onto the repaired C-130 and we all departed about an hour before sunset." 

Not only did the maintenance repair teams from Bagram and the 379th AEW contribute to the effort, forward deployed security forces personnel were on hand providing unblinking aircraft security. 

"My job was to protect personnel and resources on the ground to generate a safe and secure environment," said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Elder, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron installation response force leader, from Moultrie, Georgia. "It makes me proud when I get back from a mission like this one to be a part of security forces and this great Air Force. 

The C-130 and its team has returned to the fight flying expeditionary airlift sorties daily.