PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-608
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 608
JULY 2003
PS 608
JULY 03
MK 19 Machine Gun…
PS 608
JULY 03
44
Aviation Ground Support Equipment…
R
amp flags have been showing up lately—
again.
If you have ramp flags, NSN
8345-00-543-6914, attached to your airfield and flight line ground vehicles, you
need to ask yourself a question: “should we still be flying those checkered flags?”
The latest word in FM 1-300,
Flight Operations Procedures,
says nothing about
the use of ramp flags on flight line vehicles—such as tugs or tractors—while they
tow aircraft. So forget ramp flags.
In the past ramp flags were used as a safety precaution on fixed wing aircraft run-
ways. Still, ramp flags are considered a safety hazard in and around hovering heli-
copters.
Also, flags can become FOD material if they get caught in rotor blades or get
ingested by an aircraft engine.
…because there
was a round stuck
in the barrel
that he hadn't
checked for.
“What the Army
thinks happened
is that his MK 19
fired three
rounds, but
stopped on the
fourth round
because of
a split
cartridge
case.”
‘When the soldier pulled the
trigger and nothing happened,
he opened the MK 19's cover
and saw the ruptured case.”
“He removed the
case, but didn’t
check for a stuck
round. he tried
to fire again. The
fifth round hit
the fourth round
stuck in the
barrel and
the barrel
exploded.”
‘instructions for using the detector
are in wp 0014-00-13 in tm 9-1010-230-10.
He would have found the stuck round
and been able to remove it with the
round removal tool, whose use is
covered by wp 0014-00-28.”
That would have
saved him a narrow
escape and his gun
from suffering
major damage.
well, What
should
the
soldier have
done before
trying to
fire?
He
should
have used
the bore
obstruction
detector to
check for a
stuck round.
you’re
lucky to
be alive!
man!
you look
awful!
sorry
about that!
I’ll go get
rid of the
other one
right now!
Don’t you
know they can
cause fod
problems!
did you get
dizzy when you
were flying
around?
So follow the
good words in
FM 1-300 and your
local flight line
sop and get your
tugs and airfield
vehicles up-to-
snuff.
you didn’t
check for
a stuck
round, did
you?
One MK 19 gunner in
Afghanistan narrowly
escaped injury when
the barrel of his
gun blew up…
I’m sick!
my engine
ingested
one of your
flags!
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