European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes thursday adjust 30-,1990 i i  my Ramstein crash 2nd fatal mishap in c-5 history by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a the crash of an air Force c-5 Galaxy transport plane at Ramstein a West Germany on wednesday was the second fatal Accident in the aircraft s 20-year history. A we done to have a lot of major mishaps with this plane a said capt. George Sillia an air Force spokesman in the Pentagon. A it has a very Good  the Ramstein crash leaves 126 c-5s in the air Force Fleet. The plane has racked up More than 1 million flight hours and enjoys a a class a Accident rate a crashes involving deaths or More than s500,000 in damage a of just 1.4 per 100,000 hours. The four engine aircraft has had 12 other class a crashes with no deaths said staff sgt Mark Johnson a spokesman for the military Airlift come at Scott fab 111, a a it a what we Call a a crash worthy aircraft Johnson said k the Ramstein Light was going to Rhein main a and then on to saudi Arabia with food maintenance equipment and medical supplies for operation desert shield. The Only other fatal c-5 crash occurred in april 1975, when a plane loaded with vietnamese or to minutes after taking off from Tan son Nhut air Hans destined for the United states crashed about no it base near Saigon South Vietnam. The aircraft a cargo doors blew out about 35 Miles into the flight at an Altitude of 23.000 feet the sudden decompression caused the Hydraulic systems for the rudder and Flap controls to fail the Pilot struggled to make it Back to the base but crashed in a Rice Paddy less than two Miles from the base. More than 200 of the 320 people aboard the plane were killed. The c-5 is the Only aircraft that can transport virtually any piece of army combat equipment including the 74-ton Mobile scissors Bridge. Other Load configurations could include two my Abrams tanks one my and two m2 Bradley fighting vehicles or six Apache attack helicopters. The plane that crashed at Ramstein was a c-5a, leaving the air Force with 76 a a a models and 50 c-5bs. C-5 Galaxy. Wing Span 222 feet 0 inches length 247 feet 10 inches in fuselage length 230 Teet 7 inches tailplane Span wheel base 68 Loet 9 inches 72 Loel 11 inches operating weight 374,000 to. Max cargo Load 261,000 1b. Max taboo to weight 837,000 la. Max cruising Speed Range with Max cargo Toad 571 Mph 3,434 mles sol Ilus Jav s Ai. Ii to world arc Refl Sis h.n-5, wit Lio in crisis in the Gulf Sis dive Stdio c-5 Crew members relax at the Rhein main a hotel in West Germany after a flight from Dover fab. Del from left Are tech sgt. Gerald a. White jr., it. Col. Jack Gray maj. Tam Rogers and tech. Sgt . Walsh. Margin almost too Fine c-5 Crew says by Randy Mcclain staff writer Rhein main a West Germany a members of a c-5 Galaxy team that has flown several missions from the United states to saudi Arabia said wednesday that flight Crews arc being asked to push safety standards to the limit to keep . War machinery flowing to the persian Gulf a considering fatigue limited Crew rest and the Long Days we re working we be shaved the safety margin in some instances As narrow As it should be shaved a it. Col Jack Gray said. Gray is commander of a c-5 flight from Dover fab del., that landed at Rhein main a on wednesday afternoon. The lieutenant colonel a member of the 709th military Airlift so reserves has flown at least two other Supply missions to the Middle East this month and is a Veteran of much smaller airlifts to support the Panama invasion late last year and the Grenada invasion of 1983. Gray and other members of his Crew also reservists declined to speculate about the cause of the crash Early wednesday at Ramstein a that killed 13 service members. Nevertheless Gray and two other members of his 10-member Crew said that flying while fatigued is a major concern during the massive Supply Effort. A you can get burned out very easily a a said maj. Tam Rogers a 40-year-old us air Pilot who was part of Gray screw. A Guys can become walking zombies almost incapable of making Good  Rogers Gray and tech sgt. Gerald a. White jr., who served As Load master on Gray a c-5 Crew said rest stops for flight Crews Are often inadequate despite rules that they take at least 10 hours off before the next leg of their trip. Accommodations at the Rhein main a hotel Are not air conditioned Gray said. Two men Are required to share a room and four men must share the same bathroom Gray said. In saudi Arabia flight Crews sleep in tents if they can Gray and Rogers said. Gray whose Crew landed at roughly 2 . Wednesday had been on Alert and then in the air on the flight from Dover to Rhein main for approximately 20 hours. The Crew was scheduled to rest during the afternoon and evening at the Rhein main hotel and then report for their next flight at 1 . The Strain of flying across the Atlantic going through a six hour time change and then flying on to. Saudi Arabia 10 or 12 hours later requires flight Crews to push their bodies to the limit the three men said. Gray said the commander of a flight is Able to request extra rest for his Crew but sometimes that can Lead to a Strong words with command and control personnel in charge of the saudi Airlift. A experienced reservists May be More cynical and More willing to question and resist,1�?T said White who works As a contract support specialist with a Falls Church va., defense contractor when not flying missions to saudi Arabia. White said flying across the Atlantic Ocean to West Germany causes More stress and fatigue than hops from Here to saudia Arabia. Rogers who serves As first officer on a 737 commercial Jet for us air agreed. A a it a a combination of the Wear and tear of changing time zones and flying at High altitudes a he said. Gray who has been a member of the air Force reserves for 16 years said his Crew May make two hops from West Germany to saudi Arabia before returning to the United states next monday or tuesday. Rogers said c-5 Crews Are flying a several Max Days in a Row without common sense  he and Gray said Lack of sleep has a cumulative effect and can cause some less experienced pilots to take chances. Gray said the rest that Crews Are getting in West Germany and saudia Arabia in particular a is not Neces Sanly the Best  trying to sleep in the afternoon in West Germany after a 20-hour flight can prove impossible because of the noise at the Rhein main a hotel and the heat inside the bedrooms provided flight Crews Gray and Rogers said. Gray said that after their Landing at Rhein main on wednesday there seemed to be greater interest in the number of hours his Crew has been flying. All members of the Crew were asked whether they had flown More than 100 hours in the last 30 Days Gray said adding that the question had not been asked on two previous overseas flights he made in support of the saudi arabian Mission. Gray said his concent is that some Reserve pilots might be a a intimidated into flying More often than they should or a let their enthusiasm override their  the c-5 commander said however that Ramstein a command personnel seemed to emphasize possible flight Crew fatigue last week when he flew a c-5 into that base. A the last trip i had into Ramstein i was told that we would get a 10-hour duty break a Gray said. A i was then told that if i did no to feel that was adequate i could declare for additional Crew rest based on flying safety  usually Gray said the decision to Fly or rest is mutually reached Between the flight commander and air Force personnel on the ground