Helicopter mechanics repair F/A-18E Super Hornet on Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Despite having no experience with fixed-wing aircraft, a team of helicopter mechanics diffused a potentially deadly situation involving an F/A-18E Super Hornet on Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, March 18.

According to Staff Sgt. Jorge Minjares, the staff noncommissioned officer in charge of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361's Flight Line section, part of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan's air combat element, the situation began when a Navy pilot with the USS Roosevelt attempted to refuel his F/A-18 while airborne. During the process, the refueling aircraft's fuel basket broke off from the fuel hose and remained fixed to the F/A-18's refueling probe on the nose of the aircraft.

"It was just unsafe to fly," said Sgt. Nicholas G. Koreneos, Flight Line Section noncommissioned officer in charge. "The fuel basket was locked on the fuel probe and he was running low on fuel. If the basket came off while in the air, it could [have] injured the pilot, damaged the bird's airframe, canopy, engine; it was bad a situation."Shortly afterward, the pilot landed on Kandahar Air Field to refuel and repair his aircraft. But once on the ground, a new issue arose: there were no F-18 mechanics.

That's when Minjares and his crew received a call from Lt. Col. Peter C. McConnell, the air combat element's executive officer. "He asked us if we knew how to remove a basket from an F-18," Minjares said. "So I told him, 'we'd give it a try.'"Despite having no experience working with fixed-wing aircraft, Minjares and his team put their mechanical expertise to test. After 20 minutes their task was complete and the Hornet was ready to fly. Thanks to Minjares' crew, the F-18 took off the following day.

Posted in: Afghanistan,Fighter jet