12 Flat Tires on a C-17. How long does it take to fix them?
The C-17 prepared for landing at a Forward Operating Base in a remote part of Eastern Afghanistan. Aside from the risk of sporadic enemy fire, the short runway was a challenge for landing the enormous cargo plane.
This time the landing was rough and the aircraft suffered some damage, with 12 flat tires being the most obvious issue. And this in an environment where the sporadic mortar fire made the crew well aware that their operations needed to follow a fast get-in, unload, get-out pattern.
Complicating the issue was the lack of resources on the FOB to deal with a problem like this.
A seven-man mission recovery team assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron was forward deployed to repair and recover the damaged C-17 Globemaster III. Their mission was critical in saving an important Air Force asset from daily enemy mortar attacks.
"We knew we had a lot of tireless work ahead of us but didn't know the extent of the damage until we actually had eyes on the C-17," said Master Sgt. Roy Lee, 8th EAMS MRT member. "We knew we had to work quickly and efficiently to get that aircraft out of FOB Shank. The base and flightline take mortar fire on a daily basis."
The C-17 had sustained significant damage during the had landing. Upon the team's arrival, they assessed the situation: 12 flat tires, eight damaged brakes that needed to be replaced and eight break temperature sensors that needed repairs.
The team worked alongside the Boeing Recovery and Modification Services team to properly jack the aircraft off the ground to begin maintenance. After the first day of work, the team had replaced all tires, brakes and fixed all the break temperature sensors while mortar rounds sporadically hit the surrounding area. They would hit the ground as shrapnel flew across the flightline, but as soon as it was clear, they were back to work without hesitation. They were determined to get this aircraft air ready.
Two more 8th EAMS MRT members arrived on the second day to repair a fuel leak that was discovered. During the final day of repairs, a mortar landed approximately 150 yards away from the crew and damaged another aircraft. That was the closest the enemy got to the C-17 and the EAMS crew working on it.
The 8th EAMS Airmen completed their mission in 48 hours and ensured the aircraft could be moved out of the FOB. They knew, with no aircraft maintainers at FOB Shank, this was an important mission to recover this very valuable Air Force asset.