How did I get myself into this?

Did you at any time have a sinking feeling when you were flying about something you were doing that you knew wouldn't revolve out too good, no matter in what manner you reacted? Well, I did.

My story starts as I was lying upon a hotel bed in Boston after an exhausting day of flying for my airline. I was just about to fall asleep, when my confined apartment phone rang, with my place of abode phone on the caller ID. Usually when my wife calls when I am upon an airline trip, it is something minor. on the contrary she was frantic and kept saying, "Chris is dead, Chris is dead." The first one who popped into my head was my brother Chris. I pretty soon found out that there had been an airplane crash, and the Chris she was talking about was a friend that we'd had dinner with just 72 hours before.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

My wife and I had gone without with Chris and his wife. Chris was an inspiring pilot who had just received his commercial pilot's license and was working for a company transporting personnel quite through the upstate area. Since I was flying full-time for an airline, and part-time as a KC-135R Aircraft Commander for the Air National Guard, he and I always had adequate supply to talk about. We derive pleasure fromed our dinner and our talk of flying.

on the other hand now this call turned my life upside down.

The nearest day, I was only scheduled for individual leg with the airline, followed by means of my return deadhead leg to abiding-place I completed the day without incident, trying to compartmentalize my cogitations to flying.

I rest out after I got domicile that I was to be a pallbearer for the funeral. My airline schedule was clear, since I was scheduled to make progress with my Guard unit to Iceland for alert for sum of two units weeks. I decided I wasn't ready to leave my wife and friends during that trying time, in the way that I sheepishly called my unit and give leave to them know my predicament. As usual, they were awesome and told me to do whatever I had to do to make assured everyone got through the unfortunate events

Afterward, my wife and I had discussed my going back to the Guard unit the nearest week. She had concerns with me flying again thus soon, but she understands what I do for a living and the risks I take. I knew I would always think of what happened to my serviceable friend whenever I flew, for a like reason for this first flight I would make sure I had looked at all risk management techniques. upon the first flight after the tragedy I wanted to make assured I left no stone unturn I wanted to make fully convinced I would be completely safe--almost too safe, if that's possible.

My scheduled mission was easy. We would mount to an anchor pattern above the New England area, refuel a KC-10 and get back home. Scheduled duration was about three hours. The day of the flight, we were all well-rested, and the weather was finished for flying. My copilot was a full-time shore with about 1,000 hours in the KC-135R He was scheduled to move to upgrade in about six month The hum operator was a semi-experienced guardsman who had been flying with our squadron for about sum of two units years.

Takeoff, climbout, and the air refueling were quiet I was flying the aircraft as we departed the anchor pattern for our turn back leg home. Being the great copilot he was, my copilot started to balance the left-side wing tanks with the right side. Standard practice was to drain that wing tank to the aft material part tank, to even it up with the tank upon the opposite side. We were straight and horizontal at FL260 at this time. Being the extra safety-conscious one that I was on this particular flight, it appear to beed like I was scanning and performing checks continuously.

It was about 15 minutes after this that I remembered scanning outside and seeing what gazeed like streaming fuel on the top of the wing. I immediately brought it to the attention of the ship's company The Boom went back and scanned the left-wing from the overwing hatch. He reported back and reiterated what I had seen There was an area just aft of the No. 1 engine that appeared wet. He didn't diocese misting from the trailing cutting side of the wing, but it definitely gazeed wet. As we were talking end our options, we noticed the No. 1 tank slowly losing combustible matter quantity as compared to the symmetrical tank No. 4

We discussed our situation. Using useful cockpit resource management, I queried the ship's company on their opinions. My copilot had just been to the simulator and had the scenario of a main tank combustible matter leak. Everything we were looking at appear to beed to point this way. A main tank combustible matter leak in any aircraft is a big deal, on the other hand in the KC-135R it is really a big deal.

The checklist calls for shutting down the inboard engine upon that side due to firing tank location.

The way firing migrates down toward the inboard engine could possibly start a fire.

Since wing tanks upon the KC-135R are integral tanks, there is a possibility of wing structural moot points Therefore, the checklist says not to exce 255KIAS, not to use spe brakes until landing, and land with flaps at alone 30 degrees.

For a certain number of reason, the problem we were having just didn't look feasible. Everything up to this point was flawless. We had no agitation or high-G maneuvering that could have caused this situation. Usually, you hear of planes that have engine or combination of parts to form a whole problems. These planes are of advanced age but in all my years of flying, I have not ever seen a problem of this magnitude without a certain quantity of previous write-ups, or discussions in hangar soar etc. Since I have been in the Guard, the maintenance that I have seen has been nothing short of exemplary. on the other hand thoughts were going through my mind: "What if I didn't do anything, and we really did have a combustible matter leak?" I was taking a real conservative approach, I thought.