Instinctive action by Bagram Airman prevents catastrophe

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Law
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan --  An Airman's quick action following an explosion of a jet fuel starter Feb. 26 that sent shrapnel across the Bagram Air Base flightline averted a possible explosion of an F-15E Strike Eagle.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Billie was working on the flightline near a fellow Airman prepping an F-15E when the small motor that starts the fighter's engines blew up.

The jet fuel starter imploded and pieces of the machine flew across the flightline.

"I went out to help the crew chief on the jet clean up the area and find out how much damage had occurred," said Sergeant Billie, an F-15E crew chief with the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. "When I came upon the scene, I noticed there was a lot of shrapnel on the ground."

Instinctively, Sergeant Billie looked up into the engine's exhaust to check the damage and noticed flames flickering in the engine compartment. Sergeant Billie, an F-15 crew chief for eight years, said he had never personally witnessed flames in the engine before.

"I had someone come over and verify, just to double check, because you don't want to jump to conclusions," Sergeant Billie said.

With the flames confirmed, Sergeant Billie immediately ran over and grabbed the hose off the Halon fire extinguisher while simultaneously instructing another crew chief to charge the bottle. Charging the bottle is a process of removing a safety pin and pushing the charging handle forward to pressurize the hose.

Sergeant Billie yelled out to approximately eight Airmen in the vicinity to clear the area. He ran back to the aircraft, pointed the hose into the exhaust and sprayed the bottle's contents onto the fire before it turned catastrophic.

"The first thing that crossed my mind was the live explosives," said Sergeant Billie, who is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. "My thoughts were we need to put this fire out now."

Sergeant Billie said F-15 crew chiefs are trained to deal with this situation, but because it is not a frequent occurrence, it is imperative to remember the training and react without hesitation.

"His actions were outstanding," said Senior Master Sgt. Donald Poormon, the 335th EAMXU F-15E assistant superintendent. "He acted perfectly and you couldn't ask for better."

Brig. Gen. James W. Hyatt, the former 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, recognized Sergeant Billie with a commander's coin at a meeting with the wing's group commanders and chief master sergeants.