Guard wing hauls home flight safety recognition

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Chris Nelson
  • 189th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The question isn't so much how did the Arkansas Air National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing earn an Air Force flight safety plaque, but where unit officials will put their latest.

Air Force safety officials recently announced their annual winners, and the 189 AW earned its eighth flight safety plaque in the last nine years and was the only airlift wing of the 88 Air National Guard wings to be recognized. Three other fighter wings also received flight safety plaques.

"We're the recognized leader in the Guard for C-130 flight safety," said Col. Jim Summers, 189 AW commander. "This unit lost an aircraft and six crewmembers almost 21 years ago. Since then, everyone has said, 'We won't lose another, not on my watch.'"

The wing's safety culture is evident not only in its flying operations but even in foreign object debris walks where unit members from across the wing scour the flight line in search of debris that could harm an engine. The result has been the wing surpassing 1,700 days without a foreign object damage incident.

The wing's flight safety achievement is remarkable considering it maintains and operates 47 year-old aircraft and trains students who are often at the controls a mere 500 feet off the ground.

Wing aircrews flew more than 5,100 hours, which is the largest C-130 flying hour program in the Air National Guard with zero Class A or Class B flight mishaps. A Class A mishap involves a death or $1 million in damage to an aircraft. A Class B mishap is when property damage exceeds $200,000 or higher or permanent or partial disability occurs.

"This is a testament to the teamwork displayed by our safety professionals, commanders, and supervisors, and I am proud of each and every one," said Maj. Gen. Frederick Roggero, Air Force chief of safety, in the announcement message. "These awards exemplify the best of the Air Force safety team."

Being one of only two C-130 Formal Training Units in the Defense Department and the only one in the ANG, the 189 AW teaches the C-130 Tactical Airlift Instructor School and C-130 Initial Qualification training, which produced 410 combat-ready C-130 aircrew members last year.

"This unprecedented result is due to the wing's safety program and culture," said Lt. Col. Domenic Sarnataro, 189 AW chief of safety.

Wing aviators created pre-mission safety briefing books that focused on recent mishaps and close calls. They also coordinated efforts with their active-duty counterparts to implement the program base-wide.

The other ANG units to receive the award this year are the 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne, Ind.; the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines, Iowa; and the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, Minn.