Tinker responds to aircraft incident Published Sept. 17, 2010 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- When the call came in at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8, they didn't know what they'd find. They heard it was "an E-3 with nose problems." Thirty-one first responders showed up to the scene at Tinker's runway and went to work. With no injuries or fatalities, an inspection under way and a secure aircraft, their efforts were deemed a success. "The incident, although serious, went surprisingly smooth with no problems during the emergency response or initial investigation phase," said Terry Ford, Tinker Fire and Emergency Services chief. "Credit should be given to our installation emergency exercise program. We practice these scenarios constantly, doing so develops a sort of 'muscle memory' that when you roll out of the station, you go into automatic mode and your brain and body say, 'I've been here before, this is what I'm supposed to do,' and before you know it, the situation is under control." Of the 31 first responders, 24 of them were Tinker firefighters; four were 72nd Security Forces Squadron personnel and three were Midwest City medics. Chief Ford said he was nervous when his crew approached the runway, as he feared there could be a fire involving the hydraulic fluid when the aircraft nose skidded on the runway. "I imagine the rain helped a bit in reducing the potential for the friction which could have reduced the likelihood of sparks, causing a fire," the chief said. When the first responders arrived at the scene, they immediately set out to ensure the aircrew and aircraft were safe, while security forces personnel set up a cordon, allowing only authorized personnel into the area, said Senior Master Sgt. George Barkman, 72nd SFS Operations superintendent. "Responding units from Team Tinker handled the situation admirably" said Col. John Rauch, 552nd Air Control Wing commander. "The response teams were there within minutes, ensuring the evacuated crew members were safe and the aircraft was secure. These professionals were well prepared to handle this incident and I commend them for their excellent performance, a true asset to Team Tinker." As the investigation continues, Chief Ford said what is important is that it wasn't worse and there were qualified people doing their jobs. "Any incident like this is of course serious; 30 of our Airmen onboard a multi-million-dollar jet when something goes wrong is something we take very serious, but that's why we're here and why we train," he said. "Certainly it could have been much worse, but thank the lord, no one was hurt."