Team Edwards provides accident clean-up support

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric M. Grill
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
OWENS VALLEY, Calif. --  Team Edwards responded to an F-16 Fighting Falcon crash site, about two hours north of the base, Jan. 19.

The F-16, from the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno, crashed in Inyo County's Owens Valley, near Bishop, Calif. The pilot, who was on a training mission at the time of the incident, ejected safely from the aircraft, and was recovered by China Lake Naval Air Station Search and Rescue Team members.

The aircraft's crash site, located within the R-2508 airspace complex, is in a remote area and not easily accessible, said Col. Michael Woolley, 95th Mission Support Group commander, who led the Edwards response team to the crash site after a request for logistical support came in from the 144th Fighter Wing.

"It was a 135-mile trip (north) with the last five to six miles on a dirt road," Colonel Woolley said. "The area was a system of intersecting levees with (the crash site itself) on a wet lakebed."

The Edwards contingent of 17 people left Edwards around 4:30 p.m. and arrived on scene after dark.

"When it is dark and you are traveling on a single lane levee and you can see water on both sides, you begin to think 'safety and Operational Risk Management,'" Colonel Woolley said. However, "the intersection of the levees provided the team the ability to set up the mobile command post and entry control points."

Besides the darkness, the Edwards and Fresno combined response teams also dealt with extreme temperatures and winds.

"The first thing we did when we got boots on the ground is set up the lights, heaters and port-a-potties," said Dave Bookrum, 95th Civil Engineer and Transportation Directorate readiness chief. "This was to address the immediate need of getting the response team through the night. The next morning we unloaded our vehicles with all the additional support equipment necessary to sustain recovery operations."

In all, Edwards provided vehicles, portable toilets, cots, heaters, lighting, tents and fuel. The base also sent security forces representatives, contracting officers, hazardous material specialists and civil engineer readiness specialists to assist in the recovery efforts.

"Edwards provided us all the necessities to sustain the operations out here," said Col. David Bandini, 144th Mission Support Group commander and overall on scene commander. "Everyone has been very supportive in keeping us operational. It truly has been a team effort."

Concurring with Colonel Bandini, Colonel Woolley said, "We took a group of professionals from the 412th Test Wing, 95th Air Base Wing and the Air Force Flight Test Center here and deployed as a team.

"There were no questions about what we were asked to do. We just knew one of our sister wings needed assistance," he said.