Last month, the U.S. Air Force temporarily grounded its entire KC-135 refueling and RC-135 reconnaissance fleets over concerns of a faulty tail pin. The precaution was taken until all of the aircraft could be inspected for possible failure of the part, and the part could be replaced.
Retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Frank Faulkner oversaw maintenance of the KC-135s stationed at Grissom Air Reserve Base as the group commander until his retirement in 2001. He explained that such an inspection for a non-conforming part is evidence of due diligence being exercised.
Faulkner had no direct knowledge of the situation, but speculated that such precautionary actions are central to the reason why the KC-135s are still in the air more than 60 years after their introduction.
“They may have found something on a plane and as a matter of due diligence said, ‘we want to inspect the entire fleet because of this to be proactive in preventing anything,’” said Faulkner. “You have to perform these safety checks because just about every fighter on a mission is going to use the tanker to refuel. They are critically important.”
Faulkner said that the KC-135’s maintenance manager would have told the crew chief to check the tail pin for possible failure. If discovered on one plane, all of the KC-135s then would be examined for the same failure, and the part would be replaced.
Faulkner explained that the KC-135s were first produced in 1962 and received an engine upgrade in 1993. The refueling aircraft are part of the U.S. Strategic Air Command and are used to refuel war planes in mid-flight. Despite their age, he contended that the average KC-135 only logs about 20,000 flight hours before being retired; a fraction of the air time flown by a commercial airliner during its lifespan.
“I don't think anybody back in the 1950s when they were designing that plane thought it was going to be around for 60 years, but steady maintenance makes it possible,” said Faulkner. “That’s one of the good things about the Reserves. A lot of times we have people that are working there for 10-15 years on the same planes.
“It's not like active duty where you have a guy there, then he rotates and is gone in three years. We had guys working together for 15-20 years; knowledgeable guys and a designated crew on those planes. Think of the maintenance people as the service people at a car dealership. They check this particular part. If it's not problematic, you're good to go. If it is problematic, they have a fix for it.”