Bravo Zulu

Petty Officer Bowden observed a major safety concern during the pre-flight of an aircraft. During the external preflight, Petty Officer Bowden noticed a loose screw hanging from the P-8A’s EO/IR turret. After a closer inspection of the turret assembly, Petty Officer Bowden found multiple screws not completely fastened and several loose screws laying on top of the turret assembly. Petty Officer Bowden notified the plane captain and Patrol Plane Commander of her findings, the crew then swapped aircraft and avoided a possible mishap. For her actions AWO2 Bowden was awarded the Squadron Safety Professional Award.

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Bravo Zulu is a naval signal originally sent by semaphore flags that means “Well done.” The origins of “Bravo Zulu” are in the Allied Naval Signal Book, which for decades has been used by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established in 1949. You too can be featured here!

AE2 Wayne Ragas

During a ready preflight, aircrew conducted high frequency radio ground checks with a Sailor inside the Electronics and Equipment Bay. AE2 Ragas recognized one of his fellow Sailors was unaccounted inside the Electronics and Equipment bay so he approached his supervisor and immediately halted the unsafe evolution. AE2 Ragas’ decisive and assertive action prevented severe injury to his shipmate. His actions are to be commended as he maintained the high safety standards required for safe operations. A big heartfelt Bravo Zulu to AE2 Wayne Ragas!

AWO2 Rylan Prado

AWO2 Prado was acting as the safety observer for a P-8A flight. Preflight was completed without incident but AWO2 Prado didn’t let his guard down. He was in the starboard observer seat for engine starts when he noticed a pen underneath the engine nacelle. He immediately notified the Patrol Plane Captain (PPC) to abort the start and ensured the FOD was removed. His attention to detail and quick, efficient communication prevented a hazardous situation from developing any further. AWO2 Prado was awarded the Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group (CPRG) Safety Pro Award for his actions.

AM3 Dominic Sizemore

Congratulations on his selection as a Patrol Squadron SIXTEEN (VP-16) ‘Safety Pro’ for JUNE 2020 for exceptional professionalism while attached to VP-10. On 31 May 2020, while replacing a red engine cover that fell off a VP-16 aircraft, he identified a significant hydraulic leak coming from the aircraft’s main gear wheel well. AM3 Sizemore promptly notified Maintenance Control and had the leak repaired, returning the aircraft to service with no impact to Commander Task Group (CTG) 57.2 operations. His steadfast awareness and overall motivation prevented a potential mishap.

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On 21 November 2019, while Airman Dimayuga and Airman Sanchez Ortiz conducted a preflight walk around Aircraft 169011, they noticed a loose screw on two separate starboard elevator cable access panels. They immediately notified the PPC and radioed Maintenance Control for airframes assistance. After further evaluation by the 120 Collateral Duty Inspector (CDI), it was determined that incorrect screws had been installed on the panels, which caused the screws to back out and protrude. The screws were immediately removed and replaced with the correct ones. Had the Airmen not noticed this discrepancy during their detailed walk around, those screws could have backed out all the way, posing a major FOD concern for all aircraft on the taxiway and runway. For their situational awareness and attention to detail, AN Dimayuga and AN Sanchez Ortiz were awarded Squadron Safety Professional Awards.

A Bravo Zulu to LS2 Rawls of Strike Fighter Squadron TWO SEVEN (VFA27), attached to Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5) embarked onboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), for discovering the carbon dioxide cylinders supplied for all Air Wing float coats onboard were too large. He quickly realized the supplied canisters, if activated, would rapidly over pressurize the float coat bladder, causing them to rupture. He immediately notified the command material control officer and USS Ronald Reagan S-6 Division Officer. His action led to the expeditious addition of the correct cylinders to the Fleet issue load list, ensuring onboard stock availability to all air wing squadrons. Petty Officer Rawls’ attention to detail and sound judgment reduced potential injury and ensured eight squadrons were outfitted with proper flight deck safety equipment. Bravo Zulu, LS2 RAWLS! While conducting a functional check flight, the test pilot experienced binding flight controls when applying pressure to the right pedal. The pilot debriefed Quality Assurance that the binding felt like 10-15 pounds of extra pressure to operate the right rudder pedal. During troubleshooting, dayshift airframes mechanics moved the rudder by hand and manually felt the friction point. NATEC Fleet Support Representatives aided in the correct diagnosis of a faulty spring cartridge in the aircraft’s nose. Once the installation of the new spring cartridge was completed by nightshift airframes Collateral Duty Quality Assurance Representatives, Sergeants’ Putnam and Ward III, the binding in the rudder was still present. With the faulty spring cartridge replaced but the binding still present, both sergeants continued to troubleshoot to find additional discrepancies. After several hours of troubleshooting, they discovered that the rudder flight control cable was frayed at a pulley aft of frame 38, near the tail of the aircraft. Locating the frayed portion of the cable was difficult because it was concealed behind the On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) concentrator inside panel 61. Upon a closer examination of the immediate area, a rivet buck tail that had been drilled out in a previous repair was found entrapped in the grease lubricating the channel of the aft pulley that the cable ran through. The rudder flight control cable had been chaffing against the rivet whenever the rudder pedals were actuated. This discrepancy already caused significant damage to the cable, and over time would have caused the rudder flight control cable to break, resulting in a catastrophic event leading to potential loss of aircraft and possible physical injury to the pilot.

Due to sound maintenance practices, extensive troubleshooting, and attention to detail, Sergeants’ Putnam and Ward III identified and corrected a complex, nonstandard malfunction within a flight control system and prevented the potential loss of an aircraft and injury to aircrew.

SAILORS AND MARINES PREVENTING MISHAPS

Sgt John Ward III and Sgt Kyle Putnam

LS2 Christion Rawls

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