Two men wearing hard hats and masks standing next to each other.
Mr. Bob Schoenberg (left) and Maj Dan Klepper, monitoring runway construction repair following sinkhole damage last summer.

AMC DIRECTOR OF SAFETY SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
62D AIRLIFT WING FLIGHT SAFETY TEAM
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

By

62D AIRLIFT WING FLIGHT SAFETY TEAM
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

  • Maj Daniel Klepper, Chief of Flight Safety
  • Maj Christine O’Connell, Deputy Chief of Flight Safety
  • Maj Caesar Padilla, Flight Safety Officer
  • Capt Stephen Kinn, Flight Safety Officer
  • MSgt Trenton Lackey, Flight Safety Noncommissioned Officer
  • Mr. Laurence Schafer, USDA Wildlife Services Airport Biologist
  • Mr. Robert Schoenberg, Flight Safety Manager

The 62d Airlift Wing Flight Safety Team, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, led by Maj Daniel Klepper, earned the AMC Director of Safety as well as the Air Force Chief of Safety Special Achievement Award for 2020.

The team executed 103 investigations during the year, evaluating $3.2 million in damage and reduced mishaps by 17 percent overall.

Their work in Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) was vital to making the base Endangered Species Act (ESA)-compliant. The team directed an emergency BASH response and coordinated a Bird Watch Condition with the operations group to decrease the peak strike rate by 70 percent.

The team led a National Commission on Military Aviation Safety visit to the base. They advised 12 members and four distinguished visitors with 45 members in small group sessions during this visit. These sessions served to help the Commission make recommendations to Congress and the President on military flight safety policy.

Their work in directing the Air Force Combined Mishap Reduction Survey reached across the 62d Operations Group and involved coordinating with three squadrons to survey 340 aircrew members. This survey enabled a trend analysis across Air Mobility Command.

Not only did the team conduct inspections, they also educated hundreds of aircrew members in proactive Aviation Safety Programs. Their instruction extended to hundreds more aircrew members when they rapidly deployed the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s safety Special Interest Item in 9 days. This last effort involved executing 2,500 missions, with 22,000 flight hours globally.

The team did important work in developing Midair Collision Avoidance for Washington’s busiest airspace. During the course of this program, they educated 500 pilots on civilian hot spots.