CUTLINE Aircraft systems inspectors Ron Trlica and Kimberly Tomasino averted a possible air tragedy. Photo by Joe Feliciano

Inspectors avert possible air catastrophe

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island

CORONADO, Calif. – A keen eye for detail by an artisan at the NAVAIR Depot North Island Test Line averted what could have been a catastrophe for a pilot in the air and the possible loss of a fighter aircraft.

While performing a courtesy daily turnaround inspection on a transient aircraft, Ronald Trlica, an aircraft systems inspector (ASI), discovered that the circuit breaker on the F/A-18’s left engine fuel shutoff valve would pop whenever electrical power was applied to the Hornet. Together with ASI Kimberly Tomasino, the two inspectors immediately isolated the failure and repaired a faulty wire bundle that would have precluded proper operation of the Hornet’s fuel shutoff valve.

“A failed shutoff valve would have inhibited securing fuel to the engine in the event of an engine fire, engine stall, or a stuck throttle,” said Cmdr. Jack Waters, Test Line supervisor. “This would have resulted in a catastrophic outcome.”

Waters said that had the aircraft launched from Naval Air Station North Island’s Transient Line – vice the Depot’s Test Line – the shutoff valve failure would have gone undetected for at least another three flights.

The aircraft belonged to Air Development Squadron 23 in Patuxent River, Md., and was on the naval air station to recertify the approach landing systems aboard the carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the amphibious warfare ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1), and at Naval Air Station San Clemente.

Since the squadron’s detachment personnel were aboard Lincoln, the Test Line offered transient support for a couple of days. Trlica and Tomasino said that they were just doing their job. They made the corrections in about an hour, and the pilot was safely on his way.

“Ron and Kim’s depth of expertise was critical in first recognizing the unsafe condition and secondly getting to the root cause quickly,” Waters said. “The aircraft launched safely and on time to complete its fleet support mission.”

Capt. James Woolway, Depot commanding officer, awarded each of the inspectors a Commanding Officer’s Coin.

NAVAIR provides cost-wise readiness and dominant maritime combat power to make a great Navy and Marine Corps team better.