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Post by Gene on Jan 8, 2017 8:55:32 GMT 9
Daily Report
Friday, January 6, 2017
B-52 Engine Falls Off During Flight Near Minot
— BRIAN EVERSTINE
An engine fell off the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress during a training flight Wednesday at Minot AFB, N.D., and the pilot was able to land the bomber without any incident. The Pratt & Whitney TF-33-P-3/103 turbofan engine, one of eight on the aircraft, fell off and crash landed in an unpopulated area 25 nautical miles northeast of the base, according to an Air Force statement. There were five airmen on board, with no injuries reported. The base sent a UH-1N Huey from the 54th Helicopter Squadron to recover the remains of the engine. The incident happened as Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James is visiting the base in part to highlight the need for modernization and improvements to the Air Force's nuclear community. The base has launched an investigation into the incident.
probably didn't impress the sec/af to well
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Post by Jim on Jan 9, 2017 3:58:26 GMT 9
Daily Report Friday, January 6, 2017 B-52 Engine Falls Off During Flight Near Minot — BRIAN EVERSTINE An engine fell off the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress during a training flight Wednesday at Minot AFB, N.D., and the pilot was able to land the bomber without any incident. The Pratt & Whitney TF-33-P-3/103 turbofan engine, one of eight on the aircraft, fell off and crash landed in an unpopulated area 25 nautical miles northeast of the base, according to an Air Force statement. There were five airmen on board, with no injuries reported. The base sent a UH-1N Huey from the 54th Helicopter Squadron to recover the remains of the engine. The incident happened as Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James is visiting the base in part to highlight the need for modernization and improvements to the Air Force's nuclear community. The base has launched an investigation into the incident. probably didn't impress the sec/af to well Wonder how many will get an Air Medal for heroically saving a B-52 with 7 engines?  As old as the Buff is, I find it hard to believe that the - 6 doesn't have NDI requirements using ZyGlo, old fashioned dye penetrate which all crew chiefs use to be taught how to use, MagnaFlux on some parts, Ultrasound on some parts, and portable xray- even out on the flight line, based on flying time accrued since last inspection. I don't know if the pylon and engine are 2 separate parts, nor do we know whether it was engine and pylon or just engine that "FELL OFF". Hell, it didn't fall off, something or things broke and the engine departed...... Most likely cause, from many years of inspecting aircraft, part of several accident investigating teams during my career and having worked with NDI, will be overstressed structural components, either on the wing, pylon or engine, or all three.. It can even be accelerated by corrosion.......But to say it "fell off" is to make light of the situation. The article doesn't mention whether it was #1 or #8 engine. These would be the 2 engines/pylons most subject to stress corrosion because of wing flex in flight and ground taxi...... Remember that at about 300 hours since new, the 6 had a requirement that engine mount bolts be removed and MagnaFlux inspected? Reason was because of the shock (stress) that was generated by burner operation....Anyone here explain MagnaFlux, ZyGlo or the old fashioned dye penetrate inspection methods? No cheating.......... |
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Post by pat perry on Jan 9, 2017 5:14:10 GMT 9
MagnaFlux: For ferrous metals, induce an electro magnetic field into the test subject. Sprinkle iron particles on the subject and cracks will form a north and south pole and the particles will collect on the magnetic lines of force at the crack or defect.
Dye penetrant: Clean the test subject free of oils/lubricants. Dry thoroughly. Spray subject with penetrant and wipe off excess. Penetrant in cracks will surface through capillary action. Spray developer solution on subject and wipe off excess. Developed dye penetrant will glow in surface cracks. I think ZyGlo was the brand name of a NDI kit.
There are also tests for subsurface defects called Eddy Current Inspection, Ultrasonic Inspection, and Radiographic Inspection. I learned how to use all these tests in Tech School at Shepard AFB in 1966. Then I was assigned to the 456th FIS and they handed me a spray gun and said, "You are a painter". Fortunately, SAC had an NDI shop at Castle AFB. Didn't take me long to cross train into MARS Mechanical Accessories Repair Specialist (later changed to Environmental Control Systems).
I have a copy of T.O. 1F-106A-36 Nondestructive Inspection Procedures
Later in drag racing we used a hammer to do NDI test on billet crankshafts. You stand the crank on the flywheel flange and hit a counterweight with a hammer. If it rings like a bell there are no cracks. If it doesn't ring its life is over. They cost $500 in the '70s but now cost over $5000 for a top fuel engine.
I liked painting but not sanding and masking. Tell us about those checkerboard tails at Loring Old Sarge! Sure were pretty, but it wasn't easy, was it?
Pat P.
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Post by Gene on Jan 9, 2017 5:16:06 GMT 9
I would like to know which engine fell off to. reporting just isn't as good as it used to be...
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dartfart
F-106 Qualified
Currently: Offline
Posts: 14
Location:
Joined: November 2010
Retired: USAF
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Post by dartfart on Jan 9, 2017 5:20:44 GMT 9
Engines falling off a B-52 is not new. It happened at least twice in the six years I was at SAC Headquarters. One was while I was pulling NCOD. |
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Post by Jim on Jan 9, 2017 6:55:06 GMT 9
To speak in polite GI vernacular "THOSE F'G squares were a bitch!!!!!!!!" You painted the whole flash insignia yellow- easy masking top and bottom and then mask for a 1" black stripe top and bottom. (First tried yellow over black- looked like hell....) Straight line both directions was critical to start with so the black square corners would meet without a gap. The masking of the yellow squares were fairly easy as I used stencil paper (HD) cut to size minus width of masking tape... These were all numbered on the back side...... A bigger problem was to get clear and sharp red and white in the modified ying yang without getting pink..... Nitrocellulose lacquer will partially bleed the darker color into the lighter one- no matter which color is applied first..... Too much thinner- INSTANT bleeding, too little thinner and you got a sandy beach effect.... 3-4 coats of clear before spraying the red generally took care of it. After the 10th aircraft, CWO Johnston got his friend who run the 42nd BW Corrosion Control Shop to do the rest of the squadron.. We had modified 2 B-1 stands so we could have a scaffold to walk from the front of the tail to the trailing edge without having to move stands..... A SMSgt from ADC IG Team got his jollies writing me up for unauthorized modification of a piece of ground support equipment..... Mr. Johnston escorted him out of the hangar- never did see him again.....   |
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Post by Gene on Jan 9, 2017 8:54:55 GMT 9
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Post by pat perry on Jan 10, 2017 1:10:49 GMT 9
Jim, been there, done that to a lesser degree with the 456th blue and yellow tails.
Is there a story about how the 27th yellow and black checkerboard design evolved?
Pat P.
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Post by Gene on Jan 10, 2017 2:40:37 GMT 9
James: Despite Accident, B-52 Re-Engining Not Urgent
—JOHN A. TIRPAK
The accident earlier this week in which a TF33 engine fell off a B-52 near Minot AFB, N.D. doesn't signal that the Stratofortress fleet needs a quick re-engining, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said Friday. Speaking to an AFA-sponsored, Air Force industry breakfast in Arlington, Va., James broke with protocol, which usually demands that senior leaders refrain from discussing accidents until investigations are completed, saying the episode appears to have happened because the engine "seemingly disintegrated" and "came off the aircraft" during the training flight. The root cause is still unknown, James said, but it's hoped more will be learned if the engine can be recovered. It's believed to be at "the bottom of a riverbed," she added, saying efforts are being made to retrieve it. There were no injuries associated with the mishap. "Timing is everything," James observed, noting the irony that the accident happened while she was visiting Minot to take a final pulse of nuclear airmen at the base—before she leaves her job—to see if changes applied to the career field in recent years have had a positive effect.
However, the episode doesn't create "more urgency" to a proposed B-52 re-engining, she said. Though the idea has merits, it has consistently come up short against other priorities, James explained. She didn't rule it out, though, saying the Air Force continues to look at "various tests and comparisons" and "creative financing" vehicles that could pay for such a program. USAF has previously looked at leasing new engines, finding that such a program would pay for itself in fuel savings in only a few years, but has lacked the start-up money to do it, and the need is "not critical enough." She added that there were "more critical upgrades" needed to keep the B-52 combat-capable. Overall, the B-52's mission capable rate remains "excellent," she said, and there's no reason yet "to think this is a fleet-wide problem," even though the B-52 is "one of our oldest aircraft."
update on original B 52 engine story
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Post by Jim on Jan 10, 2017 4:12:20 GMT 9
Daily Report Friday, January 6, 2017 B-52 Engine Falls Off During Flight Near Minot — BRIAN EVERSTINE An engine fell off the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress during a training flight Wednesday at Minot AFB, N.D., and the pilot was able to land the bomber without any incident. The Pratt & Whitney TF-33-P-3/103 turbofan engine, one of eight on the aircraft, fell off and crash landed in an unpopulated area 25 nautical miles northeast of the base, according to an Air Force statement. There were five airmen on board, with no injuries reported. The base sent a UH-1N Huey from the 54th Helicopter Squadron to recover the remains of the engine. The incident happened as Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James is visiting the base in part to highlight the need for modernization and improvements to the Air Force's nuclear community. The base has launched an investigation into the incident. probably didn't impress the sec/af to well |
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Post by Gene on Jan 10, 2017 9:05:27 GMT 9
The UH-1N has a fifteen-seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo configuration it has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ (6.23 m³). An external load of up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) can be carried. The UH-1N was later developed into the civil Bell 212.[1]
this is from wiki... i used an n mod. several times... twin turbines..
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Post by oswald on Jan 30, 2017 4:41:02 GMT 9
 Jim, I was just thinking about the equipment that was used in the 431--- field and was wondering if you could put up some pictures of the various stands. the B-1 stand was like the stairway to heaven. the b-4 stand was a rising platform. Could you demonstrate for us? referring to reply #5
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Post by Jim on Jan 30, 2017 8:57:27 GMT 9
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Post by oswald on Jan 30, 2017 23:29:17 GMT 9
Jim, Pictures say more than words.
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Post by Gene on Mar 28, 2017 1:27:16 GMT 9
Mountain Home Airman Killed While Deployed to SW Asia
The Pentagon on Thursday identified an airman who died while deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve as SSgt. Alexandria Mae Morrow of Dansville, N.Y. Morrow, 25, was deployed to an undisclosed location in southwest Asia as part of the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron out of Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. She died while performing maintenance duties, according to a Pentagon statement. Mountain Home, on its Facebook page, said Morrow sustained a fatal injury while “executing her duties as a weapons loader.” “Those who knew her valued her love of life and art, her leadership, her skills and her passion,” the statement said.
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Post by Gene on Mar 29, 2017 1:39:47 GMT 9
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Post by shadowgunner on Apr 4, 2017 23:01:57 GMT 9
As a former weapons loader, I'm trying to figure out how she was killed loading an F-15. Overall, loading has been a pretty safe occupation; as long as you follow safety rules and the checklist. In the past loaders have died from serious breaches of safety; and stupid actions. Being a SSGt, I'm sure she was quite experienced and not a dufus; current loaders are pretty squared away troops. We may never know.
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Post by Gene on Apr 5, 2017 9:45:56 GMT 9
i thought weapon loaders worked in pairs...usually things are either bulky or heavy...
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Post by Gene on Apr 6, 2017 1:38:24 GMT 9
Combat Controller to Receive Silver Star
An Air Force combat controller will be awarded the Silver Star for his actions in a 2015 battle in Afghanistan that protected his special forces team while pinned down, and resulting in the deaths of “many” enemy fighters. TSgt. Brian Claughsey, a combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, was embedded with a US Army Special Forces team in Kunduz, when, with no regard for his personal safety, he exposed himself to enemy fire to coordinate 17 airstrikes against Taliban fighters. His actions ensured the safety of 150 friendly forces, killed many Taliban fighters, and resulted in zero civilian casualties. Claughsey will receive the award during a ceremony Friday at Pope Army Airfield, N.C. He is the latest is a series of airmen from the 21st STS to be recognized for valor. The squadron has, since 2008, had five airmen receive the Air Force Cross and 10 receive the Silver Star, including one with an Oak Leaf Cluster.
 these guys are getting a lot of action... check out all the wrist wear... |
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Post by Gene on Apr 11, 2017 5:11:37 GMT 9
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Jim, I was just thinking about the equipment that was used in the 431--- field and was wondering if you could put up some pictures of the various stands. the B-1 stand was like the stairway to heaven. the b-4 stand was a rising platform. Could you demonstrate for us? referring to reply #5
