Simple Task, Little Damage

Simple Task, Little Damage, Big Cost

ON JUNE 30, 2020, TWO VFA-32 AVIONICS TECHNICIANS WERE WORKING ON AN F/A-18F IN ONE OF THE HANGAR BAYS ON THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Peter Burghart

THEIR TASK THAT EVENING INVOLVED REASSEMBLING THE JOINT HELMET-MOUNTED CUEING SYSTEM (JHMCS) IN AN AIRCRAFT’S AFT COCKPIT. THERE ARE SEVERAL PARTS, LOTS OF FASTENERS AND CABLE CONNECTIONS IN PUTTING A SYSTEM BACK TOGETHER.

#2

By AT3 Bryan Minneman and AT3 Anthony Klein

Amongst the work involved in the process, there is little space for parts. The parts were moved at several different points in time to create space to work in the cockpit. During the installation of the JHMCS equipment, the aircraft was moved between the hangar bays.

Due to the aircraft moving, neither of the Sailors involved recalled when the parts were moved; however, at some point, one of the last pieces that required installation made its way to the very aft section of the canopy sill. This area houses many essential parts, such as canopy seals, actuators, actuator arms, thin-layer explosives and one of the most vital sections of the canopy frame. In the aft section of the canopy sill, the area the part made its way to is very dark, painted black and the part that shifted was black as well. As work continued past shift turnover, the two Sailors decided they had gotten to the point they needed to turn the job over to the next shift.

As an all tools accounted for (ATAF) evolution was being completed on the toolbox, the other Sailor was closing up the jet. The first function is shutting the canopy. There are multiple steps in closing and verifying the canopy sill is clear of all foreign objects and debris (FOD) is one of them. This step was not performed thoroughly that night. While shutting the canopy, just before it met the canopy sill, both Sailors heard a relatively loud “pop.” They stopped the evolution immediately and proceeded to reopen the canopy and check the source of the noise. While one Sailor checked the noise source, the other went to inform the Aviation Structural Mechanic (AME) shop of the situation.

At this point, the canopy had already shut on top of the JHMCS cable plate, damaging both the plate and the aft section of the canopy frame. At first, it looked like a potentially repairable warp in the structure, but it was enough for a mandatory canopy removal and replacement. An F/A-18F has two seats. This makes the canopy relatively larger and heavier than that of its single-seat counterparts. If you look in the integrated electronic technical manual, you will find that the canopy weighs quite a lot, regardless of the version. The sheer size and weight alone can give you a good indication that it is costly.

When damaged beyond repair, it is expensive enough to be considered a Class C mishap.

Class C mishap classification is any mishap costing more than $60,000 but less than $600,000. Many things could have been done to avoid a mishap, such as thoroughly checking the canopy sill before closure, having a collateral duty inspector or supervisor on the job to double-check the sill, following the steps in the operating publication and avoiding rushing back to the shop.

Had these two Sailors taken the time to slow down and go through all the steps, the mishap could have been avoided.

It is crucial to slow down and take your time on the job. There is no reason to rush to finish a job and cause either a mishap or rework for your shop. It is always good practice to have someone else check your work. Over the last several years, “crunching” canopy sills has been one of the top five Super Hornet maintenance-related mishaps degrading the aircraft’s readiness.

Right: Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris Bartlett Left: Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Booher