A C-130H sits on the tarmac at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna as members of the 76th Aerial Post Squadron load payload during a training exercise. All but one of the eight C-130 aircraft at YARS are grounded while the Air Force works to fix faulty or potentially faulty propeller systems. Staff file photo / R. Michael Semple

VIENNA — All but one of the eight C-130 aircraft at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station are grounded while the Air Force works to fix faulty or potentially faulty propeller systems on 116 of its planes.

It was September when a hydraulic leak was discovered in the propeller assembly of a plane during a standard inspection at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.

After it was learned other planes had the problem and “further analysis determined there was a high possibility this issue was maybe occurring throughout the fleet,” the grounding order was given, Senior Master Sgt. Bob Barko, public affairs superintendent for the 910th Airlift Wing at the station, said.

The order affected all of the planes at the station in Vienna.

“When it happened, we were actually conducting a spray mission out in Idaho and so that aircraft is there,” Barko said. “Basically the order came down while we were in the middle of a mission so Col. (Jeffrey A.) Van Dootingh (910th airlift wing commander) called out and told them we are done immediately.”

So far, one of the airlift wing’s planes has been repaired and is flying again. A second is awaiting a new propeller system, which was due to arrive Thursday.

“It’s a lengthy process for them to get the blades here; they do a variety of inspections; they put them on the plane and they test them and they fly it … all of this comes down to ensuring the safety or our air crews, which, of course, is our most important asset. Then they would certify the plane and put it back into service,” Barko said.

While all eight planes were grounded, crews trained on simulators. Now that one is back in the air, it’s been flying a lot, Barko said.

“There are things that you have to do in a real plane to keep that qualification going, so we have that one plane up and running,” Barko said.

Initially, the time estimate to correct the issue in all 116 of the aircraft was two years. Barko said, however, that the latest report is work is ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, one of the airlift wing’s planes remains at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. As soon as a set of propellers becomes available for it, Barko said, a team will go recover it and return it to Vienna.

Also in Idaho is one of the wing’s aerial spray units, which are used across the U.S. in mosquito and weed control missions.

“Fortunately, we are at a point in our aerial spray schedule that it is a quiet time right now for us. Hurricane season has ended and typically over the winter months we’re not going out taking care of our scheduled spray customers, so to speak, the bases we spray on a regular basis across the country,” Barko said.

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