We were back in the Persian Gulf, and it seemed too soon. This trip was the second time I had been there, and the area was very hot and humid, just as I had remembered it. It doesn't get much hotter than the Gulf in mid-July.
On this particular July 17th,I just had received my daily passdown for what looked like a busy night. One of our tasks was a phase inspection on aircraft 405. A major part of this task is an alignment check on the AMAD (aircraft-mounted accessory drive) to see if it has shifted, which would cause unnecessary strain on the power transmission shaft (PTS).
We worked some gripes on the roof for about half the night before we were able to start work on 405. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the airframers were working on the same jet, this wouldn't have been a problem, except they had two hydraulic jennies hooked up to the aircraft for some checks, and the exhaust from these jennies was pointed directly at the center of the aircraft. As a result, we couldn't open the doors enough to gain access to the AMAD, so we had to work adjacent doors and do what we could. We decided to stop work at the midway point because the heat from the exhaust, combined with the Gulf heat, became unbearable.
A short time later, the jennies were shut down and we were able to continue our work. The temperature still was unbearable, so we hurried through the procedures without checking the proper publications. We then could get back to the shop where the air conditioner was cranking.
Three days later, the jet was being turned for a post-phase check, both motors were on line, and, in a short time, an AMAD- pressure caution light popped up in the cockpit. The turn petty officer shut down the engine. We then could re-service the AMAD and investigate the problem. As we were waiting for the PON-6 to service the AMAD, we heard a loud bang and saw the forward part of the PTS fall out of an open bay door. When the "dust settled," quality assurance looked over the engine bay and found the PTS shaft had broken loose, causing enough damage to the AMAD to replace it.
The scary part was that one of our shipmates was underneath the jet when the incident happened. Flying parts easily could have been struck this maintainer and could have hurt or killed him. We were lucky, and he was unhurt.
An investigation later found a number of screws on the PTS shaft were missing, and, when the shaft was rotating at high speeds, it became unbalanced and broke into two pieces. We learned that no matter how hot, humid, or uncomfortable the environment, the job still needs to be done right. We should have taken a break and should not have rushed the work. We also should have followed the book, because it is less likely to forget something or skip a step. Once again, we learned the hard way, but you don't have to.
This story was written by an anonymous author from VFA-137. |
