7/27/2019 Shaw Spirit May 24, 2002 - Crash Pod

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FitnessCrash pod flies again thanks to Shaw's an-do attitudeStory and photos by SeniorAirman Lee WattsStaffwriter

All the king's men may have not have been ableto put Humpty Dumpty back together again, but ifHumpty had bee n in the Air Force he might havehad a shot. When a Shaw je t had a mishap causing~ x t e n s i v e damage to its electric countermeasurespod, the experts said it was unsalvageable, but themaintainers of he 20th Component Repair Squadronrefused to accept that answer.

Because of heir dedication and skill, the ECMpod is fully functional and is still flown today.The mishap happened at Charleston Air Force

Base in February 200 I. The Shaw je t diverted toCharleston AFB because of a mechanical problem.Upon landing, the pilot had to use the arresting hookto "catch the barrier."Catching the barrier is a phrase used to describethe process of an aircraft using its arresting hook tocatch a cable that helps to slow and stop the air

Before: The crash podarrived in a condition somebelieved was beyond repair.:lamaging the ECM po d."

craft. This is theway Navy jetshave to land oncarriers becausethey have far lessrunway space, butthis is not the normfor Air Forceaircraft and is onlyused in emergencies.

According toTech. Sgt. DavidPursey, ElectronicWarfare Systems/Sensors Flightproduction superintendent, "Duringthe landing, thebarrier cablebroke, wrappingaround the aircraft,causing it to spinaround three timesand heavily

ECM pods are positioned on the bottom ofF-16sJetween the two main landing gear wheels. ECMJods are used to jam enemy radar and surface to airnissiles. They provide a measure of defense for>haw's je ts as they perform the wing's mission of;uppression of enemy ai r defenses.

After the mishap, Shaw dispatched a team to1ssess the damage to the pod. Staff Sgt. CharlesW'eber, EWSS team leader was in charge of he1ssessment. "When I first saw how damaged theJOd was my first thought was, 'I hope I get to fixt," ' said Weber.

SeniorAirman Michael Sahlbom, also a memberJf the assessment team, said, "I felt rea lly proudNhen they selected me to go examine the pod.W'hen I first saw it I thought, 'Wow! What in theNorld happened?" '

After the initial assessment, the pod was sent tohe ECM pod depot at Robins AFB, Ga., for further:xamination. Depo t is a place where a specificJrogram (in this case, avionics) is managed and

During:Senior Airman Michael Sahlbom (left)and gtaff Sgt. chariesWeber /right) spentmonths u t t i n ~the pod back together. Their efforts saved the wing more than a million dollars.serves as a central repa ir facility for heavily damaged items. A depot is a collection of experts in thefield ofa system, including civilian engineers,equipment specialists and item managers.

Pu rsey said the depot thought the pod wasbeyond repair. "Since depot didn't want it, we askedif we could have it back to see if t could be rebuilt,"he said. The depot sent the pod back and repairsbegan.

During the course of epairs, an aircraft fromthe 388th FighterSquadron from HillAFB, Utah,also had a mishap. Since their pod was also considered beyond repair, Shaw asked for and received it,too.

Taking parts from the two damaged pods, workcontinued to make one good one. "We had torebuild, replace or manu facture virtually every pa rtof the pod. It was so badly damaged we had tocompletely dismantle it and start from scratch," saidWeber.

With such a complex piece ofequipment, eventhe smallest detail can cause it to not functionproperly.

"We put a lot ofcare in to each detail and wiretwist," said Weber.Sahlbom agreed, "The job took a lo t of heart an dsoul."Part of hat detailed work included Weberspending two months using a magnifying glass to

rewire the small components in the pod. "I wouldestimate we repaired I 500 pins in the pod," saidWeber. Those "pins" carry messages like logic,voltage, codes and other things the pod uses tofunction.

Weber estimated more than 2,000 man-hourswent into rebuilding the pod.Master Sgt. Bruce Hill, EWSS Section Superintendent, said, "Even though there are three people

who did a great deal of t, the entire shop pulledtogether to save the pod . It's the above and beyondeffort the flight put in that made this such an accom1-plishment."

The three people he referrs to are Weber andSahlbom, who are still part of he 20th FW, andSenior Airman Shane Glenn, who has since PCS'd -to Korea.

With the work completed, the pod was paintedand tested."There was a lot of work and prayer beingtested on that first flight," said Weber.Due to the dedication, can-do attitude and

technical expertise of he maintainers, the pod ranperfectly on its first test and has since been retumeto service.Pursey said, ''Taking the initiative to salvage the

pod saved the wing $ 1.3 millionand contributed toShaw maintainers being named best in the Air Forcelast year."

After: Members of the 20th FighterWing's Electronic Warfare Systems/Sensors Flightpose May 9witlthe rebuilt, and now fully functional, electronic countermeasures pod.