Airmen hone crash recovery skills

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eric Schloeffel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  In the unfortunate event of an aircraft mishap in the Southeastern region of the United States, the 723rd Maintenance Squadron must stand ready to respond and recover materials from the site. 

Learning one of the essential techniques to accomplishing this mission was the focus of airlift bag training April 6, as 19 Airmen from the 723rd MXS simulated an attempt to lift a HC-130 off the ground. 

"During this training, we take a pump and connect it to a large pneumatic console which controls 15 airbags," said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Phillips, 723rd MXS lead infrastructure NCO in charge. "In a real situation, there would be up to four (pump) stations - one at the tail and nose, and at each wing." 

The scenario used a simulation involving a C-130 that experienced a hard landing and lost its main landing gear while attempting to land on the runway. Lifting the aircraft would allow the 723rd MXS to put a dolly underneath the aircraft and transport it. The purpose of recovery is that despite a crash, the aircraft can either be restored or some parts may still be usable. 

During this simulation, the 723rd MXS only placed a pump on one wing and didn't actually lift the aircraft off the ground to avoid any possible damage. 

The training helped the 723rd MXS prepare for real-world situations that could occur during crash-related events, said Sergeant Phillips. 

"We fortunately haven't used this particular event in any recent incidents," he said. "However, it is important to know because there has been an incident in the deployed environment where airlift bags were used. In this situation, there was construction on the runway which stripped the gears right off the aircraft as it was landing." 

One example of a successful recovery that exemplifies the efforts of this 723rd MXS tool occurred several years ago when an HH-60G Pave Hawk crashed in the Everglades region of South Florida. 

"Once we were called to the scene, we stripped the HH-60 to minimum weight and placed it on a pallet," said Master Sgt. Larry Coleman, 723rd MXS. "The aircraft was then refurbished and returned to service. We then gave the HH-60 to the Republic of Korea, and they are now able to use it." 

While airlift bag training might have only been refresher training for many of the Airmen who participated, remaining current on these techniques are vital to accomplishing their highly-specified mission, said Sergeant Phillips. 

"Learning these skills is absolutely paramount to what we do," he said. "Considering the area we are assigned to cover, there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. If the training wasn't performed, it could result in a logistical nightmare which might impede our entire mission."