Marine discovers deadly flaw in UH-1Y Huey
Create Post
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Marine Free Member Wrench3516's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    33.079316, -84.95749
    Posts
    167
    Credits
    14,448
    Savings
    0

    Marine discovers deadly flaw in UH-1Y Huey

    OFS
    Face of Defense: Marine mechanic makes lifesaving find

    Marine discovers deadly flaw in UH-1Y Huey

    by Marine Cpl. Brian Adam Jones

    01/24/2012

    CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan, Jan. 20, 2012 – Marine Corps Sgt. Christopher Lemke’s diligence as a helicopter mechanic paid off recently when he discovered a potentially deadly flaw in a UH-1Y Huey aircraft, military officials said.

    The sergeant was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal in a Jan. 12 ceremony here because of his find.

    Lemke, a mechanic with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, nicknamed the "Gunfighters,” regularly conducts inspections on the squadron’s UH-1Y Hueys and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters.

    It was during a routine phase inspection of a Huey in late December that Lemke, a native of Macomb, Mich., uncovered something that could save countless lives. Phase inspections are regular checks on an aircraft’s various components to ensure they are safe.

    Underneath the UH-1Y Huey in the aircraft’s transmission compartment -- an area so difficult to reach that maintainers call it the “hell hole” -- Lemke found something wrong.

    “When two metals rub together, it creates this black liquid, and that’s what I found,” he said.

    The transmission pylon beam and the main beam joint, which secure the aircraft’s transmission to the airframe, were disintegrating.

    “This failure represented an extreme risk to the aircraft and aircrew,” Lemke’s award citation reads.

    The citation goes on to state that Lemke’s finding led to a Corps-wide inspection, resulting in an engineering advisory report about a manufacturing defect found on multiple UH-1Y aircraft.

    “No one else had ever found such an issue, but when we looked at another aircraft we had in phase, it had the same problem. There was a fault in the design of the aircraft,” he said.

    Lemke was not scheduled to inspect that part of the helicopter as there had never been an issue in the history of the aircraft, but he explained that Marine Corps aircraft maintenance demands more than completing the minimum requirements.

    “That’s how I was trained -- it’s the Gunfighter way,” Lemke said of his squadron. “Our job isn’t just replacing things. If we don’t do it right, that’s someone’s life.”

    Lemke is known for his work ethic.

    “It’s no surprise to me,” Lemke’s supervisor, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Ricardo Paez, said. “He’s always gone in there and done his job the right way.”

    Lemke said he hopes younger mechanics in the squadron -- the privates first class, lance corporals and corporals -- see that as aircraft maintainers, they hold lives in their hands.

    “I’m 24 years old and the responsibility we hold for our age is astronomical,” Lemke said. “I hope the junior guys around me realize that and go out and provide combat-capable aircraft for the Marines on the ground.”
    http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=48985


  2. #2
    FoxtrotOscar
    Guest Free Member
    Kudos to that Marine... attention to detail does in fact pay off...


  3. #3
    Went on a Huey out here about a month before that, good to know they found that error. Glad that we didn't go down.


  4. #4
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Broken Bow
    Posts
    9,698
    Credits
    168,904
    Savings
    0
    Images
    148
    Promote that Marine too Mertorious Gunny...ASAP!!! Superb Job of doing His MOS,And Reflects Highly on Him and Tha Finest Traditions of The United States Marine Corps.Semper Fidelis


  5. #5
    Rah mechs


Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not Create Posts
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts