DSV, to give or not to give! (Read 520 times)

Sometime prior to November 1974 I was placed in a difficult situation.

I recall the time because it was before I got married.
The place was Griffss AFB, NY and we were in the KC-135 Inspection nose-dock hanger doing J-57 jet engine inspections.

We had detected a crack in the #1 engine pylon bleed air duct where it connected to the jet engine bleed air system.

The J-57 engine had high time on it and quite a few write-ups on it that we had discovered on inspection. It was decided with such few hours left on it that we should just send it to the JEIM Shop for shipment back to depot. That was fairly standard operation.

The OMS Crew chiefs ordered the pylon bleed air duct and the damn thing went factory backorder. The whole damn Supply system and depot did not have any in stock.

The nest day I had a few co-workers with me and we were doing the fix phase of the inspection. We were busy and having a good time. As we worked we laughed and joked together.

In the hanger walks the Deputy Commander for Maintenance(DCM). A full bird Colonel. I spread the word to co-workers that the DCM is in the hanger look sharp.

The DCM walks over to the #1 engine pylon and is looking up at the bleed air duct and pylon.

Try to picture this in your mind:
The DCM is maybe about 5 1/2 feet or abit more or less. He is obese maybe pushing 300 pounds.
The jet engine is removed from the pylon and the 4100 engine removal trailer is still parked there. The engine was rolled onto a 3100 transport trailer and towed to the JEIM shop.
The DCM after staring at the pylon climbs on the trailers tung then main cross-member then up onto one to the trailer's rails.
The DCM is maybe now 3 feet in the air with both his feet on the rail and he is holding onto the pylon with his fingers. :nono

Now all of us in maintenance know this is an unsafe act, whet is called a DSV = Detected Safety Violation.

I'm working on the #2 engine with two co-workers and say in a low voice. "Look at that idiot, and where is Quality Control (QA) when you need them, if that was one of us QA would be all over our a$$ and writing us up."

One of the young airman : say, "Someone should do something before the Colonel gets hurt." Of course the : is looking at me. So I reply, "OK"

I walk over to our DCM and ask, "Sir, would you like me to get you a maintenance stand and pull this 4100 trailer out of here?.
The DCM answers, "No I'm fine."
I then say, "Sir, you are not fine and doing an unsafe act, plus there are airman watch you."
He goes on to tell me in so many words that: he is the DCM, he can do this, he will only be a few minutes, not hurting anything, etc, etc.
Well, trying to be nice, polite, helpful, and respectful is not getting me anywhere and the airman are taking this all in.

So, I am forced to change my tone.
Now I suggest to the DCM, that if he does not get down now and let me get him the proper maintenance stand I'll be force to submit a DSV on him using a hazard report form. I'm not sure of my exact wording put to the DCM, but that about covers it.

After about a minute the DCM says I'm finished here and starts getting down. When he lets go of the pylon he wobbles and I was sure he was going to fall, but he catches himself by grabbing the pylon again. He is successful on his second try on getting back down.

After the DCM gets down I politely explain that I'll have to submit a DSV on this incident.
The Colonel looks me in the eye and says, "Go ahead sarge!"
He turns and walks out of the hanger and is gone.

As I turn to walk back to the #2 engine I see my co-workers looking at me.
So, before I walk back to the engine I walk over to the maintenance dock window and ask the : behind the counter for a Hazard Report form.
The : replies. "Hazard Form for what, no hazards in my hanger."
I reply, "It's not for the hanger, its on the DCM, you saw what he did, a DSV, and I'm writing it up.
The : asks, "You sure you want to do that?"
My reply is, "Yep, my troops expect it of me."

So he hands me the form.

We get back to our Jet Engine Flightline Dispatch section in the next nose dock hanger and I fill out the incident report and give it to our NCOIC.

He reads it and asks, "Are you sure you want to submit this on the DCM of all people?"
I respond, "I wish people would quit asking me that, I have to do it, just please forward it to Quality Control."

My boss then says to me, "Who in the hell do you think Quality Control works for?"

I reply, "I don't really know, the Wing Maybe?" :scratch_head

My boss says, "NO, they fall under the DCM." :razz
He adds, "Nothing will happen and that Colonel is going to remember your name, so you better never get in trouble!"

The Hazard Report Form detailing the DSV incident was submitted up the chain of command.
I never heard a word about it.


(SAC) nose docks. 2nd one was KC-135 inspections.
Middle one upstairs was our dispatch office, the hanger floor was washrack.

This is how the hangers look today. They used to be gray in the 1970's


This base newspaper article shows the KC-135 pylon with bleed air duct,,,and the top of the J-57 Engine.


The nose docks with tail & fuelboom of KC-135.