Told to me at the 1998 reunion.




Sgt. Leonard Patterson


A plane came in from a mission and the pilot was complaining about a nose-gear shimmy. You know how you always have to change the dampener on the nose-gear.

We removed the nose-gear and put the plane on RED "X"just like you're supposed to do. I took it in to have it sent off to get another one. When it came back I went out and put it on.

You know you have to get it inspected before you can take-off. I don't know, but some SSgt. ( I forgot his name) had went and pulled the pins. (some kind of shear pins) They were like real long bolts that went all through it that held the nose wheel lower section to the part that raised up and down. I didn't know he had pulled the bolts out to get them Magna-fluxed.

They inspected the plane and took it off of RED "X". Of course they had to go out on the runway and raise the nose-gear and then pop it back down to make sure it didn't shimmy. Well they went to the end of the runway and ran that Dude up. (preflight) With all that vibration the pins fell out. The pilot started to taxi off and the nose-wheel twisted around and came up right through the bottom of the plane. (laughter) I'm here to tell you, you talk about tearing up an airplane, that nose-gear did it.

Well, getting it back up where we could get the pins back in it was a DEAL! In other words, with it down we couldn't get a jack under the nose. Somebody came up with a bright idea of getting the loading ramps and then getting the Cleat-track and running it up on the ramps. That would get enough weight on the back where we could get it up.You know that's what we finally did. There must have been 50 guys come out there to help us. Everybody got under the nose of it and we picked it up and put a stand under it.

We got the nose wheel back down and seen where it had knocked a hole in the bottom of it. The pins were laying right there!(laughing) They had just vibrated out. We got the pins back in it. Somebody got some bolts and we got it all back together and taxied it back.
I'll tell you what, that plane really wound up being in great shape. It was up at Base Shops about three months while they were trying to repair it. I was assigned to the plane so I went up there and compleatly redid the cockpit. I put all new sand stuff on the floor to keep you from skidding, repainted everything flat black. It turned out nice after I got finished with it.

After I got discharged I was an auto mechanic.

Sgt. Leonard Patterson

pattul@prodigy.net