By LT Andy Tabellion
C
alling a task “routine” is a quick way to let your guard down. The Seahawks of VAW-126 recently experienced how rapidly a situation can degrade when smoke started to rapidly fill the cockpit during a low power engine turn. As usual, a low power turn brief was executed in Maintenance Control with all the personnel involved in the evolution. Although not unusual for a Hawkeye squadron, the low power turn was taking place at night so the aircraft would be ready for the next day’s flight schedule. The turn crew briefed the proper night hand signals and AE1, who was working on his turn operator qualification and was performing the turn, and AD2, the turn operator qualified instructor, briefed and reviewed all the emergency NATOPS procedures. As the turn operators were walking to the aircraft, AE1 commented, “You’d never think that you would ever actually have to perform one of those emergency procedures.” What he did not know
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at the time, was that he was soon going to be at the controls for his first actual aircraft emergency. The evolution continued normally as the port engine was started successfully and brought into reverse thrust to reduce the propeller wash around the nacelle and allow the maintainers to check the engine for bleed air, oil, and hydraulic leaks. However, from this point on the evolution quickly started to change directions and AE1 and AD2 started to realize it was no longer going to be just a “routine” low power engine turn. AE1 and AD2 began to smell and see smoke rapidly entering the cockpit from the air vents in the foot well. AE1 started executing the emergency NATOPS procedures by quickly scanning the engine instruments, which were all in the normal range, and securing the air conditioning system. Meanwhile AD2 was trying to signal the fire to the plane captain from inside the cockpit; however, the reduced visibility at night combined with the smoke in the cockpit made it impossible for the plane
Mech
