The Nose Gear Pin Incident
               By Gordon Tatro - February 24, 2002

SUBJECT: Trip Report
MISSION: Ferry Aircraft 67-21494 From Otis AFB, MA to Korat Royal
Thai AB, Thailand
DATE of MISSION: On or about the inclusive dates of: April 6th to
April 16th 1969
SPECIFIC INCIDENT: Damage to #3 Prop by nose gear pin 
PREPARED BY: Gordon Tatro (then A1C and Assistant Crew Chief) on
Feb 24, 2002 

During my short stay at Otis AFB, MA (Jan to September 1969), I
got the opportunity to fly to Keflavik Iceland many times, but
one other trip stood out as totally exciting (at least for
this...then A1C).  I got the chance to be on a ferry crew to
deliver an aircraft to Thailand and rotate out another back to
the states.  The R model Connie we flew over to Korat (to the
best of my knowledge) was #67-21494 ...this is the only mention
of ANY aircraft tail number during the trip. 

As I remember, we left on or about 6 April and stopped at
McClellan, CA; Hickam, HI; Wake Island; Anderson AFB Guam; Clark
AB in the Philippines; and then finally Korat RTAFB, Thailand.    

The trip was uneventful except for one episode, which nearly cost
me my life.  During our taxi roll after landing at Clark AB, PI,
an Assistant Flight Engineer (or someone) opened up the vertical
sliding door just to the right of the Flight Engineer's panel.

My seat was facing the rear but I was out of it and looking out
the small starboard side window at number 3 prop/engine.  As the
individual lifted the door the center twist handle caught the
long strap of the gear-pin bag...got wrapped up in it (somehow),
and the gear pin bag fell out the door.  As it tumbled towards
the ground the bag turned and the nose gear pin came out of the
bag and hit the tarmac.  

A drawing of a complete nose gear pin is shown in image what a
"normal nose gear pin looks like" (ngpin.gif).

Because the aircraft was still moving, the pin (and the red
"Remove Before Flight" streamer) went into the number three
propeller.  It whipped the pin, bending it, and sent it into the
fuselage about two feet from my head (the streamer in the picture
is NOT the real one...of course).  Image "Damaged Nose Gear Pin"
(tatro15.jpg) shows the pin AFTER encountering the propeller. 

The pin went clean through the starboard fuselage side and stuck
into the port side of the fuselage (I wrenched it out of the
padding and skin and have kept it ever since).  Had I been
sitting in my seat it would have come even closer to my head than
it did.  

Because I use to pull pins and chocks during ground marshaling
duties, I remember that we had a specific manner in which we were
to show the cockpit (pilot and/or co-pilot) that we had pulled
three pins (the long nose pin and the two shorter and a bit
larger diameter main gear pins).  Each pin was wrapped in its
streamer, and then we stuffed them all in the gear pin bag, which
was then pulled up into the cockpit via the Engineer's overhead
sliding door.

The prop needed changing (it had a half inch notch in one of
the three blades about a foot from the tip) and the fuselage
needed to be scab patched on both sides of the fuselage (to allow
for pressurization).  We stayed at Clark only about 6 hours
longer than we had planned, but the prop and engine shops (and
me), along with the sheet-metal folks worked rather hard during
that time.  

We did get the opportunity to visit the city of Angeles and go to
a bar called the Blue Eagle(?) but I was really tired and we did
not stay much longer  than "just one drink" of Leaping Deer or
Rocking Chair (if I remember the odd names for the bottles)! 

The pin in the picture IS THE REAL ONE! Somehow I managed to keep
it with me all these years and it even survived a rather messy
divorce in which I lost MUCH military memorabilia (including a
couple of photo albums). 

While at PI, and after the maintenance, I remember being quite
tired (we all were), and answering the phone while the crew chief
was in the shower (we had shared a room).  Being a bit new to all
this Air Force stuff, and the oddity of the situation, when I
answered the phone I did not "ooze" forth the necessary, "Yes,
Sirs" and "No, Sirs".  The person on the other end was the AC and
he was already not a happy camper.  I had not recognized his
voice, nor did he identify himself.  And, I had just pissed him
off!  

I remember that he was a full bird Colonel but I do not remember
his name.  It was recommended (by the Crew Chief) that I
apologize to him for my rather "unmilitary use of the phone" and
not to say words such as "Oh Hi" and "what-cha need?" anymore!!! 
The AC had wanted to speak to the Crew Chief (who I can not
remember except that he was a TSgt) and I had not recognized him
over the phone.  I apologized and the incident was forgotten...I
always remembered that...incident!! 

When we got to Korat, I was there for about three days and we
then returned.  I do not remember much about the return trip and
some of the film/pictures had since been lost.
 
Gordon Tatro, MSgt, USAF (Ret)
(1968-1991)