Well Done Award: United States Air Force

Flying Safety, March, 2002

The Aviation Well Done Award is presented for outstanding airmanship and professional performance during a hazardous situation and for a significant contribution to the United States Air Force Mishap Prevention Program.

Technical Sergeant Karl K. Hoeppner

355th Component Repair Squadron

Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ

Technical Sergeant Karl Hoeppner, a 355th Component Repair Squadron fuels system craftsman, expertly put his annual fire extinguisher training into action and averted a potentially life-threatening aircraft incident. While transiting the flight line in a vehicle, he noticed a Navy CH-3 helicopter preparing to taxi onto the active runway. Sergeant Hoeppner saw smoke coming out of the helicopter near the right main landing g ear area, and sprang into action when he saw the smoke turn into large flames.

Rapidly assessing the situation, Sergeant Hoeppner drove his truck 400 yards through several restricted areas to reach a flight line halon fire extinguisher bottle parked at the nose of a transient C-141. He parked a safe distance away from the still-turning helicopter rotor blades and dragged the 150-pound halon bottle approximately 75 yards to the aircraft while simultaneously alerting the flight engineer of the danger. The flight engineer then alerted the rest of the four-man crew to run their emergency checklist and shut down the aircraft.

Sergeant Hoeppner took control of the scene and directed the flight engineer to charge the fire bottle while he manned the nozzle. He approached the aircraft with the wind at his back and directed the halon spray at the right wheel well, smothering the fire that had started due to an overheated wheel brake. He remained on scene until the fire department arrived to takeover, and was then transported to the base hospital and treated for smoke and halon inhalation.

Sergeant Hoeppner's quick and decisive actions prevented the loss of a valuable aircraft and potential loss of the four-man crew. Due to his rapid response, the damage repair cost for the helicopter was limited to less than $1,000.