EC-121R Batcat (Read 884 times)

Constellation story two.
I may have posted this story some time back.
My memory function doesn't remember.
While at DaNang, 1968/69, I worked in Maintenance Control.
I was the senior/lead controller, which meant the Red (Crash) Phone was in front of me.
One day I got a call on the Red Phone that I clearly remember (well as clearly as my addled brain can remember).
Initially the message on the Red Phone was given in short detail to most who answered.
For Maintenance Contol, Deputy Chief of Maintenance, Ops and others, we had to stay on the line and then got the full story.
That day, I picked up the handset and waited until the man on the other end said: "Maintenance Control", and I gave my initials.
When he came back on, after the others had hung up, he gave some rather startling information.
There was a Connie inbound, EC-121, with a normal crew on board.
They would say: "22 SOB", meaning the number of people on the ariplane.
Then he would give as much information as he had and ask us to all stand-by for further information.
I told the NCOIC and the OIC to pick up their Red Phones and listen in.
The Connie was over the Gulf of Tonkin, flying toward DaNang, which was the closest base that could handle it.
The problem?
All four engines were going in and out of reverse, at the same time.
I'm sure the people on board were getting rather anxious, as they were a ways from the runway, and the problem was not going away.
We kept listening on the phone, and telling the fighter squadrons that the reason their missions were delayed was because of an in-flight emergency, and both runways were shut down.
I don't know what the situation on the Marine side of the base was, but their F-4s were not moving.
As the Connie got closer, every piece of fire and rescue equipment on the field was sitting alongside the runway.
Waiting.
Needless to say, we all were anxious for that big bird to set down safely.
Finally, we got the word it was in sight, and not going to have to ditch or use the nylon elevators.
Our Lt. Col. took his Jeep and a couple of people, and went to the ramp to watch the landing.
I'm still on the phone and we had been patched in to the radio calls.
As the pilot was approaching the North end of the runway, the props went back in to reverse.
He already had the gear down and was close enough, so he cut the throttles and put that big girl on the concrete.
You could almost hear the giant sigh of relief  that went across the base.
Once the Connie slowed enough, it taxiid off the runway and came to a stop.
A tow vehicle pulled it to a secure area, and the crew deplaned.
Locheed, Curtis Electic (the prop maker), and a depot team, flew to DaNang in a few days, and began trouble shooting.
When I left for Mt. Home, in August 1969, she was still sitting, unsolved, unrepaired, unflyable.
A few months later, at Mt. Home, Idaho, I walked in to the Ops control room to drop off my startus reports.
The controller introduced me to his new captain OIC.
Found out he had been at DaNang when I was, working in DCM office, as well as flying F-4s.
I asked him if he knew anything about the Connie.
He said the reps from Lockheed, Depot and Curtis, could not find out what was wrong.
They ran taxi tests, made a coupld of aborted takeoffs, still got some reversing, but no solutiions.
Someone, somewhere, decided to send in a crew, take the wings of, put it on a sea going barge and take it back to the States.
That was the last he heard of it, and the last I did.
Locheed says they didn't have reverse problems on other 121s, and were baffled.
I never got to fly in one, but have watched them many times and would like to get on board for a long XC.

Jim Too