OHIO Mansfield crew saves flight landing in Kuwait

The plane full of soldiers had 45 minutes of fuel left and failed landing gear.
MANSFIELD (AP) -- For 59 U.S. soldiers, it was to be a happy flight home from Iraq, the beginning of two weeks of rest and relaxation.
The flight, however, was anything but relaxing. It ended on a runway in Kuwait with the plane's landing gear held down by chains to keep it from collapsing.
"There was a lot of hand shaking and thank yous as they exited the airplane," co-pilot Jeff Charette said of the soldiers.
The C-130 cargo plane took off from Balad Air Base in Iraq on June 29, manned by a six-member crew from the Ohio National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing, based in Mansfield.
As the plane gained altitude, the crew discovered that the main landing gear would not fully retract into the aircraft because one set of wheels was wedged against the other set, keeping them down at an angle.
Situation assessment
Knowing there was no way to land the plane safely and only having three hours' worth of fuel, the crew decided to fly to the Persian Gulf and then begin circling until the landing gear could be fixed.
Flight engineer Shane Adams of Lima, Mike Cyphert of Shelby, and Mike Keller of Sycamore tried to unjam the landing gear, but it would not budge. As the aircraft continued to drink up its fuel, the crew turned to experts on the ground, including maintenance workers at Mansfield Lahm Airport.
Col. Charles Daugherty, logistics group commander of the 179th, said he was contacted when the plane had 45 minutes of fuel left.
"It caught us off guard," Daugherty said. "It was a very serious situation."
The crew decided to make an emergency landing at Kuwait International Airport because of its large runway and nearby medical facilities.
As the plane made its way to the airport, the crew was able to get the landing gear to drop by repeatedly rocking it from side to side until it freed up.
However, the crew feared that the landing gear might collapse during the landing. So they braced it with heavy cargo chains.
Passengers in danger
The crew also feared that if the landing gear gave way, the plane's propellers could nose-dive into the ground and shatter, piercing the aircraft with shards of metal.
So the seating of the soldiers on board was rearranged to minimize the risk of injury. Several were moved to the floor of the aircraft, where cargo straps were placed across their legs to secure them.
Charette, of Mansfield, said the soldiers were aware that the situation was not normal, but they were unaware of the seriousness of it.
"They were even taking pictures of all the action taking place in the rear of the aircraft," Charette said.
Then, all 65 occupants braced for the landing as emergency crews gathered on the ground.
Pilot Bruce Fogle of Mansfield put the aircraft down, and the gear held.
"It was the smoothest landing I have ever seen," Charette said.