By Maj. Allen L. Gilbert
H-46 Program Officer

Sergeant Shawn A. Howard is a defensive weapon of the rarest kind. He is one of only a handful of Marines who ensure the safety of combat aircraft at the depot level. He has a personal stake in such duties. Not only is he protecting his brothers in arms – some of whom are personal friends, he also may someday find himself in these same aircraft over hostile territory.

Howard, a crew chief in Naval Air Depot Cherry Point’s H-46 program, proved his mettle recently during a quality inspection on an H-46 helicopter being readied for the flight test phase of production. Although those who perform it normally consider the inspection somewhat routine, their attention to even the smallest detail remains a critical function of the entire production process. In Howard’s case, that detail was simply a bit of “grease” where it shouldn’t have been.

What Howard found was minute metal filings that, when combined with moisture, appear grease-like. The artisans commonly call it “wear grease,” and often it spells trouble, because it can only mean that metal is rubbing against metal when it shouldn’t be. The filings were found on a bolt that attaches major airframe components on the aft section of the helicopter. Howard’s discovery initiated an investigation and risk management evaluations by the H-46 program manager and fleet support team engineers who determined that it would be prudent to detach the aircraft’s aft pylon at the 410 station, commonly referred to as the field splice.

After the aircraft was taken apart at the field splice, further investigation revealed severe cracks on the upper right 410 cap angle main bolt hole and an elongated bolt hole on the upper left king stringer fitting. These two main airframes components take almost the entire structural load at the 410 station of the H-46 airframe. These components are crucial to the safe conduct of flight operations. Unnoticed, this helicopter would have been delivered with a severe quality defect, and further flight in the helicopter could have eventually caused structural failure of the aircraft at the 410 station fittings.

Howard’s keen eye for detail and structural expertise of the H-46 airframe not only prevented the delivery of a defective and therefore dangerous aircraft, he also protected the reputation of the depot. The risk management involved and Howard’s decision to stand up and make note of a major defect on an aircraft that was almost completed is no less than noteworthy, and led to his selection as the Naval Air Depot Cherry Point Safety Professional of the Month for December. His actions are commendable and were in keeping with Naval Air Depot Cherry Point’s business policy, “Relentless Focus on Quality, Unsurpassed Service to the Fleet.”

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Cutline: Sgt. Shawn A. Howard was selected as the Naval Air Depot Cherry Point December Safety Pro for his keen eye for detail and for his good judgment during a recent quality inspection of an H-46 helicopter. (Photo by Mike Barton)