Team Tyndall comes together to clean up after ground mishap

  • Published
  • By Melissa Porter
  • 325th Fighter Wing / Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes an Air Force base to raise an Eagle, an F-15C Eagle that is.

Representatives from organizations across Tyndall came together Friday and Saturday to hoist a damaged F-15 off the airfield following a ground mishap Jan. 22.

The aircraft, assigned to the 2nd Fighter Squadron, was involved in a mishap after it landed and taxied off the taxiway, hitting a light pole, which in turn toppled onto the jet. The pilot was not injured in the incident, but the aircraft was pinned under the damaged light pole, posing a challenge to safely clear both from the airfield.

"It was a true team effort," said Brig. Gen. Tod Wolters, 325th Fighter Wing commander. "I was impressed by the spectrum of expertise we had on the airfield - all working toward the same goal - to get the job done and get it done safely."

Mr. Brian Stahl, Emergency Operations Center director for this incident, led the effort to remove the 120-foot tall, 4200 lb. light pole and unearth nearly 11,500 lb. concrete foundation the pole stood on.

"Painstaking effort was taken to craft a light pole removal plan that would cause no further damage to the aircraft and ensure the safety of personnel executing the plan," Mr. Stahl said.

The team of experts that collaborated on the removal plan and were on scene for the extraction included a structural engineer from the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, CES engineers, 325th Mission Support Group fire protection specialists, 325th Maintenance Group aircraft maintenance experts, skilled tradesmen from CES's base contract support, Chugach/DelJen, and 325th Medical Group personnel. In addition, 325 MXG personnel and DS2 contractors coordinated and executed the aircraft removal.

The team went through 20 reciprocating saw blades to cut through the metal pole, and five hours later the pole was separated from the aircraft without incident, according to Mr. Stahl.

"We planned for the worst and executed the best possible outcome," he said.

On Saturday, DS2 contractors with the crash recovery team hoisted the aircraft using a 100-ton crane and towed it to Hangar Five, where it will remain until the safety investigation board has concluded, said Lt. Col. Eric North, 325th Maintenance Group deputy commander.

The pole was cut into segments and will be turned into the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office.

The cause of the ground mishap is still under investigation; initial assessment points to brake failure as the root cause, according to General Wolters.