[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SALUTING ``SPIRIT OF GALION'' AND 179TH AIRLIFT WING OF OHIO NATIONAL 
                                 GUARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL G. OXLEY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2004

  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to salute the determined 
efforts of the crew of the Spirit of Galion and the 179th Airlift Wing 
of the Ohio National Guard in preventing a major disaster over the 
skies of Iraq earlier this year.
  On June 29, the six-man crew of the C-130 transport plane Spirit of 
Galion took off from Balad Airbase in Iraq with 59 Army soldiers on 
board. The soldiers were en route to the United States for a two-week 
break. However, the upbeat mood on board did not last for long. Major 
Bruce Fogle and Major Jeff Charette, the pilot and co-pilot, 
respectively, and both constituents of mine from Mansfield, quickly 
noticed that the right main landing gear would not retract after 
takeoff.
  The crew's two loadmasters, Senior Master Sergeant Mike Cyphert (also 
a constituent of mine from Shelby) and Staff Sergeant Mike Keller from 
Sycamore, examined the landing gear to discover what was wrong. They 
found that the gear was wedged at an angle, with one wheel fully 
retracted and the other almost all the way down. In that position, 
there was no way the plane could possibly land safely.
  Majors Fogle and Charette, though, with 28 years of C-130 flight 
experience between them, did not panic, even though the plane's fuel 
level afforded them very limited time to fix this major problem. 
Working with Captain Matt Muha of Dayton, their navigator, they decided 
to make their way toward the Persian Gulf, circling overhead until 
either the gear problem was fixed or their fuel level reached a 
critical level.
  Meanwhile, Technical Sergeant Shane Adams, the flight's engineer and 
a constituent of mine from Lima, worked with Sergeants Cyphert and 
Keller to free the jammed gear. The flight crew alerted experts on the 
ground as to their situation, working with ground crews in the region, 
at the 179th Airlift Wing base in Mansfield, and even with private 
sector aerospace engineers. Even with the combined efforts and 
suggestions of the dozens of people now troubleshooting the problem, 
none of the solutions proposed was successful in lowering the gear.
  With these options exhausted, Sergeants Adams, Cyphert, and Keller 
continued to rock the stuck wheels from side to side in an attempt to 
dislodge them. However, the Spirit of Galion was quickly running out of 
fuel. The pilots radioed Kuwait International Airport and requested 
clearance for an emergency landing. Just in time, however, the crew 
freed the gear, allowing it to drop freely.
  Even with the gear freed, though, there was no guarantee of a safe 
landing. The crew had no way of knowing if the gear would stay in place 
and support the weight of the plane on touchdown. The crew immediately 
went to work bracing the gear with heavy cargo chains strapped across 
the width of the cramped plane. The crew also had to rearrange the 
seating for their Army passengers to minimize the risk to them should 
the gear give way. The loadmasters helped to secure several of the 
soldiers to the floor of the airplane with cargo straps.
  With the gear secured and emergency crews in place near the runway 
prepared for the worst, Major Fogle brought the plane in. Despite the 
continuing tension and the knowledge that so many lives were 
potentially in the balance, it was a textbook landing, with Major 
Charette calling it the smoothest he had ever seen. Thanks to the 
dedicated efforts of the entire crew, the gear stayed in place.
  The six-man crew was greeted with cheers from their Army passengers 
and their crewmates on the ground around the world. Befitting their 
professionalism and dedication, though, they deflected these accolades, 
instead expressing their own thanks to the soldiers on board, the 
ground crews in Kuwait, their teammates at the 179th in Mansfield, and 
everyone else involved in the effort to bring the Spirit of Galion back 
safely.
  I am proud to add my commendations to the entire team that prevented 
disaster on that day--but especially to the flight crew on board. Using 
their years of experience and through their calm actions, they saved 
many lives in the air and on the ground that day. The Spirit of Galion 
and the soldiers on board could not have been in more capable hands 
than this crew, which knew that failure was not an option with so much 
at stake. Their devotion to their duty and their country is a credit to 
everyone at the 179th Airlift Wing and an ideal reflection of the 
bravery and skills of our reservists and guardsmen now serving the 
United States throughout the world.




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