Returning crews brave thunderstorms, land safely

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jennifer Lovett
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
KIGALI, Rwanda (USAFENS) --  It’s the stuff movies are made from: a thunderstorm wall as high as 45,000 feet, two aircraft one with limited radar coverage, 100 miles from intended course.

Upon off-loading 70 passengers and their cargo at El-Fashir airstrip in Darfur Friday as part of the African Union Missions in Sudan, Pilot Maj. Mike Miller took off from the sunny airport with a crew of ten as the lead in a two-ship formation bound for Kigali International Airport -- where more than 150 U.S. Air Force Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, set up operations as the 86th Air Expeditionary Group to move approximately 550 AU peacekeepers to help mitigate the severe humanitarian crisis in Darfur, said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Culbertson, 86th AEG spokeswoman.

Two and a half hours later, Capt. Bill Roelker, aircrew navigator, noticed a massive line of thunderclouds on his radar and alerted the pilot.

“The wall of storms was as long as 50 miles,” he said. “The screen was covered in black holes; I’ve never seen anything like it.”

With his radar screen functioning at only 25 percent, the main concern was being able to see around the clouds in order to safely avoid them.

“Thunderstorms build up in front of you and as you evade them, they build up behind you. So you have to get out of the way,” he said.

The only way to fly when there are thunderstorms around is through holes in the clouds, said Capt. Matt Lockwood, aircraft commander. “The walls on these storms ranged from 18,000 feet to 45,000 feet and our radar wasn’t capable of letting us see what’s on the other side of them.”

Lockwood radioed the other Herk to spot the storms and give vectors for him to relay to Captain Roelker and Major Miller who were devising the best flying options for co-pilot, Capt. James Hudson, who was negotiating the aircraft with Miller.

“At the end of the flight, GPS showed 50 different turns in what normally would have been a straight shot,” Captain Roelker said.

While the Herk snaked its way through the jumble of dark holes, aircraft engineer, Master Sgt. John “Red” Smith, monitored aircraft performance and ensured ice from the moisture in the storm didn’t build on the Herk.

“I’ve been flying with Major Miller since he was a lieutenant in the Pacific, and this was the most unnerving,” said Sergeant Smith, who’s been in the Air Force 24 years. “Ice build-up causes deterioration of aircraft performance. The changes in aerodynamics could prove to be catastrophic,” he said. “Several times, I had to de-ice the leading edges of the wings and the tail, which pulls heat from the engines and slows the aircraft.”

In the back of the aircraft, loadmaster Staff Sgt. Sean McCormick monitored mechanical performance and cared for passenger comfort.

“A couple of times, it was pretty bumpy,” he said. “I scanned the aircraft systems in order to notify the flight deck if there were any mechanical problems, and I ensured everyone was seated with their seatbelts on so we could get through without injury.”

After more than five hours of dodging thunderclouds, they finally broke clear. Although the airport was in sight, a commercial DC-10 aircraft wasn’t.

“We knew generally where he was but not exactly, since we were flying visual,” said Captain Lockwood.

They knew the DC-10’s location exactly when they pulled through the clouds and were nose to nose with him at slightly different altitudes, Smith said.

In order to avoid collision, the crew implemented evasive techniques. “We went down and left; it went straight over us to land first,” said Captain Hudson.

The Herk landed one hour later than scheduled but in one piece.

“I’ve been flying for 8 years and that was the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Captain Lockwood. “Nevertheless, we had a great crew and all’s well that ends well.”