HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- An unexpected fire in any enclosed space is dangerous; a fire inside an airplane four miles in the sky with no way out can be deadly.
One group of Airmen at Holloman Air Force Base recently encountered this exact scenario, worked together as a team, and lived to tell the story. Based on their actions, the 704th Test Group’s VOODOO 1 aircrew was awarded the Air Force Materiel Command Chief of Safety’s Aircrew of Distinction Award for 2019 for their actions during a night flight test mission over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., May 20-21, 2019. This annual award was presented by AFMC to the aircrew that showed extraordinary skill, alertness, ingenuity or proficiency in averting or minimizing the seriousness of an aviation mishap during flight or intent for flight.
The five aircrew members of VOODOO 1 were:
- Maj. Simon Kassemi, aircraft commander, 586th Flight Test Squadron
- Col. Charles Cain, test pilot, 704th Test Group
- Lt. Col. Charles McNiel, flight test engineer, 746th Test Squadron
- 1st Lt. Richard Holloway, flight test engineer, 746th Test Squadron
- Mr. Brian Bowar, instrumentation engineer, 746th Test Squadron
Two and a half hours into the flight in a modified Beechcraft C-12J Huron test aircraft at approximately 3 a.m. and 21,000 feet, the power distribution unit for onboard test systems in the cabin spontaneously caught fire. The fire immediately enveloped the PDU to the rear of the aircraft and smoke began to fill the cabin. In an aircraft cabin fire, smoke and fumes can rapidly incapacitate a crew. Additionally, there is a limited amount of time before a fire reaches critical flight systems or causes a loss of structural integrity which can lead to a crash.
In this potentially deadly situation, the five aircrew members acted quickly. Notably, Kassemi initiated emergency communications, directed aircrew actions and programmed navigational aids for landing. McNiel fought and extinguished the fire with onboard firefighting equipment, during which the pilots landed the aircraft safely at Holloman AFB within minutes of the fire starting. Due to the crew’s rapid and effective emergency actions, there were no major injuries to the aircrew or significant damage to the one‑of‑a‑kind test aircraft.
Members of the 704th TG were also operating the Holloman airfield at the time of the aircraft fire. They coordinated the safe recovery and emergency response to the aircraft after landing.
Those members were:
- Maj. Benjamin Karlow, operations duty officer, 746th Test Squadron
- 2nd Lt. LaVincha Wilbon, test manager, 746th Test Squadron
- Airman 1st Class Rodrigo Noriega, operations desk coordinator, 586th Flight Test Squadron
Of particular note, Karlow ensured the runway lights were on for the pilot’s rapid visual cueing. He additionally directly coordinated with the Command Post and Fire Department to ensure a quick response. According to Col. Charles B. Cain, 704th TG commander, the 704th Test Group is particularly grateful to the 49th Wing for authorizing and enabling after-hours use of the Holloman airfield. This provided a long, familiar, lighted runway with full-time emergency response capability, factors that helped ensure the safe recovery of the aircraft and crew.
Cain summed it up this way, ”Bottom line, these Airmen from the 704th Test Group and 49th Wing team applied their training and worked together to safely and effectively respond to this emergency and they are here to all tell the story because of it.”
Having won at the AFMC level, the VOODOO 1 aircrew will now be considered for the award at the Air Force level.