It takes two

It was the first day of cruise, and I was excited because I had been selected as the AE shop's night-check supervisor. I was proud, looked forward to doing a good job, and wanted to show the squadron my worth. It didn't take too long for my first challenge.

The pace was slow that first evening: I went down to the hangar bay with an AE3 to work on some up gripes, including one on a cockpit light. The hangar bay was crowded with aircraft, and our jet was parked next to a Hornet from another squadron--a little too close for the Air Force but just right for a carrier.

While my partner pulled out a power cord, I did a walk-around and checked the safety pins and circuit breakers. I was anxious to begin and did not notice the flags for the wing-fold pins were not hanging under the wings. The power cord now was plugged in, and my shipmate was in the cockpit, waiting on me to turn on the power. Doors 10L and 10R still were latched, but the bird just had come down from the roof, and I just assumed the PCs had pulled the circuit breakers after shutdown. The chain of events almost was complete. I walked over to the bulkhead and got ready to apply power. The PO3 signaled, and I hit the button.

I did not know the ordnance shop had removed an AIM-9 from the wing-tip station before the aircraft had come down from the roof, and they manually had cranked up the wings. They also did not put the wing-fold handle in the "hold" position. Leaving that handle in the "spread" position would allow the wings to open up when power was applied.

A Hornet's outer wings spread quickly, and, as I made my way around a jumbled area of SE, the EDU's quiet drone never reached my ears. Aircraft 215 looked different at first glance, but, in the cockpit, my AE3's actions told me something was wrong. The wings spread as soon as electrical power was applied, and the starboard LAU-7 came to rest on the canopy of a neighboring FA-18.

The AE3 secured power before more serious damage occurred. He then ran to the shop and grabbed the wing-fold speed handle and manually cranked the wing off the canopy. The other aircraft was damaged slightly.

The pressure that develops during high-tempo ops, especially with an uncooperative aircraft, can make maintainers try doing a job from memory. When we make that wrong decision, a lot of little things can add up and can lead to minor mistakes or even a mishap. Had that canopy shattered, the incident would have cost a bundle, and we would have had to wait a long time for a new canopy.

I learned that a thorough walk-around and a better grasp of procedures could have prevented this incident. No substitute for experience exists, though, and I certainly will not make the same mistake again.

Petty Officer Patton works in the AE shop at VFA-27.

COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. Navy Safety Center
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group