590069 MLG Trim Pad Inncident - How It Came To Be A Static Display

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59-0069 MLG TRIM PAD INNCIDENT

HOW 59-00069 BECAME A STATIC DISPLAY JOSEPH TARDOGNO AVIONICS COMM/NAV

21 JULY 1999 I was just reading about the story of how 59-0069 was moved from Griffiss AFB as a static display to Great Falls, MT for display. I was assigned to the 49th FIS in Oct of 1982 and was stationed there until the last "Six", A/C 57-0453 left the CNY sky around the summer of 1987. I was a 328X0 Avionics Comm/Nav. We shared the X-RAY shop with Instruments and MA-1 folks.

Well, while reading the letter of how 59-0069 became a static display, I realized that all the author mentioned was that the aircraft crashed on the runway! This is not entirely true [not at all true]! I was working swing shift the night it happened! The names of the individuals escape me, but the fate of 0069 lay in the hands of an over-zealous Jet troop TSgt, not a pilot [crew chief actually]! This particular TSgt was ground taxi certified for the F-106.

The night in question, an engine trim was being performed, when things went wrong. After hooking up the cables, the aircraft would be taxied up into position before taking it into afterburner. Someone on the ground gave the all-clear, before checking the cables! There was enough slack on the right MLG, so that when the extra force of the aircraft lurched into afterburner was applied it literally ripped the gear from the aircraft, driving it right up the wing. With the left MLG still attached the aircraft swung around off the trim-pad into the grass, allowing the TSgt time enough to shut the aircraft down. After this little mishap, 0069 became our new hanger-queen. Of course, we couldn't let the opportunity go to waste; we cannibalized everything we could that would keep the other aircraft flying. Everything from the 080 scope, to the 520 and 620 units, even the fuel quantity probes were yanked. I remember this task; I still have the JP4 soaked clothes to remind me!

All in all, I remember those years at Griffiss, and treasure every one of them. The F-106A/B in my opinion was one of the best aircraft I had the pleasure of working on! I learned allot about aircraft maintenance in those 5 years.

MSGT (RET) RONALD F. LEJEUNE CREW CHIEF AND ENGINE RUN OPERATOR 59�0069 14 JANUARY 2004 I was operating 59-0069 on the trim pad when an unusual occurrence happened. Just as we stabilized at 100% and were ready to go into afterburner the right main landing gear pulled off from under it. It seems the aft drag brace connecting area on the strut itself had inter-galvanic corrosion in it and when the drag brace came off, when a chunk of strut, the landing gear unfolded in the trunion area. The reason for the grounding was the trunion pin area of the wing was damaged. Since the aircraft was scheduled to go to MASDC (DM) it was decided it was cheaper to plant it than to fix it.

MARTY OUELLETTE 26 FEBRUARY 2017 Ron Lejeune was the crew chief who was running the aircraft. It was there for a power bleed and leak check hydraulic pumps. We tied her down and when Ron brought it up to tighten the cables, he put too much power and the cables pulled tight but not even. The hydraulic crew went under to do the pump bleed (believe they were Fisher and Barton but not sure). Ron engaged nose wheel steering to pull cables straight and when he applied more power the right main gear went down. The left and nose were still good. This scared the hell out of me as we could have lost the hydraulic crew but we were all very lucky. It was disappointing when they took her off the pedestal (Aug 1994) just because of her tail number.

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