B-52 team oversees repair of two Guam aircraft Published Nov. 14, 2011 Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Aerospace Sustainment TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- In the fall of 2010, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Aerospace Sustainment Directorate's B-52 Program Office, the B-52 sustainment team, and Boeing engineers had quite a challenge before them. Two damaged B-52H Stratofortresses in Guam required specialized temporary repairs and follow-on long-term permanent repairs: aircraft 61-003 had a rear spar terminal fitting crack and aircraft 61-039 experienced a No. 5 engine failure that caused severe structural damage. A truly collaborative effort was needed to complete an initial assessment and the temporary repairs needed to fly these two aircraft back to the States. The B-52 Sustainment Division and the 76th Aircaft Maintenance Group Expeditionary Maintenance teams, both here at Tinker AFB, worked with Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center, 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, and Boeing Engineers to ensure these aircraft got back to warfighter in a timely manner. Following a successful assessment and required temporary repairs, both aircraft flew to Wichita, Kan., and are currently undergoing contractor-performed permanent repair, as to not disrupt programmed depot maintenance work here at Tinker. Despite the distance, Tinker remains involved as personnel, on a daily basis, consult with Boeing's team. "The temporary repair of these two aircraft was an engineering challenge at a Forward Operating Location. Parts availability was a major issue which required numerous parts substitutions in order to complete the repairs," said Mo Kalhor, B-52 Engineering Branch chief. "A collaborative effort between B-52 Program Office and Boeing personnel made the temporary repairs at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, a success." When an aircraft breaks in the field and the repair is beyond the unit's capability to fix, the aircraft's main-operating base will send in a "107" message through their headquarters to request engineering assistance. If the unit can implement the fix action deemed appropriate by the engineers, no further steps are required. If not, Tinker's expeditionary maintenance team will obtain funding from the main operating base's major command, identify and order required parts before a travel team is sent to the site for temporary repair. "When a '107' comes in, it takes precedence over any other project or work," said Retha Lucas, 107-repair Area Support manager with the B-52 Sustainment Division Logistics Branch. Last fall, a rear-spar terminal-fitting crack was found on aircraft 61-003 while it was performing a mission in Guam. The rear-spar terminal fitting is a section where the wing meets the body of the aircraft. Seventy percent of the wing's load is held on that structure. The temporary repair required beefing up the area with plates so it could be flown from Guam to Wichita in March 2011. The weight and balance configuration was critical to the safe flight of the aircraft across the Pacific Ocean to the Boeing Facility. The B-52 Program Office and Boeing engineers went through a great deal of analysis to determine how much fuel the plane should hold at any one time during the flight. "Tanker air refueling timing was critical to ensure the aircraft arrived safely," said Capt. Patrick Cain, career broadening officer assigned to the OC-ALC/GKD Logistics Branch. The permanent repair required far more intricate work back at Boeing, as the contractor has had to reengineer and manufacture the new part. "The entire rear-spar terminal fitting has to be made and they have the challenge of installing it into the aircraft, a procedure that has not been accomplished since the 1960s," the captain said. Last October, aircraft 61-039 faced a different issue in Guam - a more complex temporary fix and a less complex permanent repair, as compared to aircraft 61-003. During a takeoff from Guam, the No. 5 engine - most inboard, right-side engine - catastrophically failed and caused major structural damage to right-side fuselage, engine strut, flight controls and landing gear. Despite the damage, the crew maintained control of the aircraft and was forced conduct an emergency landing. "One of the biggest problems on aircraft 61-039 was the engine strut," Captain Cain said. "It was damaged to the point that it needed re-engineering work, and there just aren't engine struts out in the supply system, they simply don't exist." After the assessment team finished in February 2011, the EDMX team traveled to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., to pull an engine strut from an aircraft in storage. Before the part could be pulled, permission was needed from Air Force Headquarters since this aircraft was in a particular storage configuration. If obtaining permission to pull the strut wasn't challenging enough, the team had to coordinate getting the part from Arizona to Guam. Additionally, with the EDMX team returning to Tinker, coordinating the movement of the team and equipment to return to Guam to perform the temporary repairs was required. But, that wasn't the only issue. The idle aircraft had been grounded in a highly corrosive environment off the Pacific Ocean for more than eight months, so there were additional inspection requirements needed - above and beyond the repair inspection requirements - to ensure a safe flight back to the United States. A team from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., the main operating base, was sent out to Guam to perform corrosion, engine, fuel, structural and other system inspections on the grounded B-52. Nate Dozier, the B-52 Sustainment Division lead engineer for this effort, was on-call 24/7 assuring any repair questions were answered in a timely manner. His expertise was critical to the coordination of all inspection requirements and ensuring the crew had a safe and reliable aircraft for the one-time authorized flight from Guam to the Boeing facility. "It was a big unknown and we were basically identifying and requesting a new part every day," Ms. Lucas said. "Normally repairs are fairly common and you have the final list in two days. I've been doing this job for nine years and this was one of the biggest challenges we've had." The aircraft left Guam for Wichita in August and is currently undergoing permanent repairs. "It took some extraordinary efforts from many folks and organizations to get this jet back to the continental United States in a safe and timely manner," Col. John Fisher, B-52 System Program manager said. "Safety is paramount in all we do and the folks focused on this during their months of work, while knowing they needed to get this aircraft back to the warfighter soonest. Each Team member involved in this effort certainly reflected the Air Force's core values of excellence, integrity and service before self. They were away from their families for a good bit but kept in mind their support to the warfighter's mission was the top priority. These folks epitomized Air Force teamwork."