Posted on Aug 5, 2015
SSgt Aircraft Structural Maintenance
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What is the weirdest damage you have seen or, most extensive repair you've had to perform?
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Responses: 23
LtCol Robert Quinter
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I once did an emergency extract of a Recon team in VN, There was no place to land so I backed the aircraft into a hillside and let down until I felt solid enough for the team to jump on the ramp. During the loading process, I was mentally congratulating myself on the stability of the hover. When the team was all aboard, I lifted and returned them to their base. On the post flight inspection, we found an 18 inch hole in the underside of the aircraft where a tree trunk had punched through during the landing. Gave some extra stability in the hover and the metal shop had a good time with it.
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MSgt Robert Pellam
MSgt Robert Pellam
>1 y
I have fixed a few holes in Helicopters caused by plant life. My first repair on an H-53A was a Cactus strike. Awesome story.
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SFC Mark Merino
SFC Mark Merino
>1 y
I've had a few in OH-58D's as well. Those little birds with skids have to be extra careful.
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LtCol Robert Quinter
LtCol Robert Quinter
>1 y
PO2 Brian Rhodes - I was a real popular guy. Big on blades also !
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
7 y
LtCol Robert Quinter I was not there Colonel, nevertheless, thank you and a Hand Salute for that extraction!

The world will little note nor long remember - what helicopter pilots did for the troops in Vietnam!
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LTC Stephen C.
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4f46b38a
SSgt (Join to see), the B-17 "All American" sustained some of the most significant damage that I've seen to an aircraft, yet was able to continue flying and return to base. Occurred in 1943. I've attached a link to the story.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-articles/wwiis-b-17-all-american-separating-fact-fiction.html
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SFC Mark Merino
SFC Mark Merino
>1 y
Maybe that is one that my grandma helped assemble. She was as tough as that aircraft!
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
>1 y
SFC Mark Merino strange aircraft indeed brother.
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MSgt Robert Pellam
MSgt Robert Pellam
>1 y
I love this article. The engineering behind Aircraft frames and Skins is incredible.
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SSgt Aircraft Structural Maintenance
SSgt (Join to see)
>1 y
Thank you! I love reading about amazing feats that our aircraft can do and the skill of those it involves!
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MSgt Dwyane Watson
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Being a "tin Bender" for 24 years I have seen all kinds of damage. When I was a reservist at Wright- Pat in the early 90s a F-4 hit two deer. When stationed at Davis-Monthan we had a A-10 strike and kill a coyote. When stationed at Travis I have had not bird strikes but Pterodactyl strikes on C-141s and C-5s. When you investigate the "possible bird strike" and you see the talon still wedged between the pylon and wing and the talon is bigger than your hand, all you can do is just stand back and say "damn!" As for extensive damage we discovered extensive corrosion on a C-141 were 40 square feet of skin had to be replaced as well as the stringers and ribs. One of the dumbest things we had to fix on our "off time" was when a F-86 pilot practicing for an airshow bloody forgot to put his landing gear down and decided it would be really cool to belly land a perfectly good aircraft. Lucky for the aircraft owner my sheetmetal guys were dying to get their hands on his aircraft and fix it for gratis. Many more stories are out there!!!!!!!
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MSgt J D McKee
MSgt J D McKee
>1 y
I guess that's no shit about the talon or you wouldn't have put it here, you should get in touch with e a r t h f i l e s. c o m and give her a report, she is a nice lady who makes a business of keeping track of stuff like that. Interesting.
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MSgt Dwyane Watson
MSgt Dwyane Watson
>1 y
The bird remains were sent off but we never heard what they were, we surmised that it may have been a condor. It was so big, the bird destroyed the leading edge pylon skin and damaged the leading edge of the wing.
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MSgt Owner
MSgt (Join to see)
7 y
I agree, could go on most of the day. I was a rivet head also. The fights keeping crew chiefs from keeping eagle claws and beaks. Ridiculous, we had to turn that stuff in.
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