McConnell Airmen avert local air show disaster

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica Lockoski
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Hundreds of air show spectators marvel at aviators performing aerial acrobatics and low-flying stunts. After an afternoon of watching tense, nail-biting attractions, spectators walk to their cars only be horrified by a plummeting aircraft. Disaster, chaos and panic follow. 

But this accident didn't actually happen. 

Instead, two spectators, off-duty McConnell Airmen, used their knowledge of aircraft and situational awareness at a recent local air show, to prevent a potential disaster. 

Maj. Jim Beyer, 22nd Air Refueling Wing command post, and 1st Lt. Scott Piekarski, 22nd Operations Group, both aircraft enthusiasts and civilian pilots, attended the Wichita Flight Festival Aug. 29. 

Major Beyer said a pilot was taxiing his personal aircraft for takeoff at the Col. James Jabara Airport, Wichita, Kan. after the festival's air show with a gust lock still attached to the rudder of his plane. 

Lieutenant Piekarski first noticed the discrepancy on the single-engine Cessna and brought it to Major Beyer's attention. Then, the major alerted the pilot. 

"The danger is; if the pilot would have gotten airborne ... it could have led to an accident upon landing, especially in a cross-wind," said Major Beyer.

The gust lock system is two pieces of wood attached on the left and right side of an aircraft rudder and keeps the piece from blowing around in the wind while a plane is parked. Without the use of a rudder, a plane cannot easily control the direction in which the aircraft is pointing. 

The major said there was a chance the pilot could have noticed the error while steering the aircraft down the runway because the locked rudder would have prevented the aircraft from turning while on the ground.

But "could-have-beens" didn't stop one friend from praising the Airmen for their actions - especially if what could have been, was a catastrophe.

"Their professionalism and attention to detail averted a possible fatal disaster," said Mike Sage, a 22nd OG special operations flight planner, who also attended the air show and witnessed the Airmen's actions. "This is a great example of what the Air Force wants the public to see in its Airmen. I'm extremely proud of them."