NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa –
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania’s team worked with DLA Disposition Services and DLA Aviation to ensure a grounded C-17 at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, received a part needed to fly.
The part, a wire rope assembly that is only 4’’ long and weighs less than ½ a pound, prevented the aircraft from passing through the maintenance line of production, thus grounding the flexible cargo aircraft used by the Air Force for rapid strategic delivery of troops and cargo to military bases.
DLA Aviation’s materiel planner Dan Pak, in coordination with the customer assistance specialist and resolution specialist, determined that 40 wire assemblies were inadvertently sent to DLA Disposition Services at DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, for disposition.
After further research, it was determined that the system generated a disposal order for the parts. To recoup the material, a direct reporting unit ticket was created.
Johnny Riegel, the Material Examiner and Identifier work lead at DDSP, received the order Dec. 28, 2021, and reached out for the status.
When it was confirmed the parts were still missing, Riegel initiated a search through two warehouses and found the wire rope assembly parts. DLA Aviation was then able to receipt the material back into the system and the parts shipped overnight to Robins Air Force Base.
Thanks to Riegel’s thorough search, the missing assets were shipped overnight to Robins Air Force Base and the C-17 was able to fly Dec. 30.
Steve Millovich, the ME&I supervisor, praised Riegel for his hard work locating the missing assets.
“When we discovered that we needed to find the missing assets, Johnny immediately went to look for them,” he said. “He went above and beyond our duties to try and locate them.”
Dan Shrawder, the emergency supply operations center supervisor at DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, praised how everyone was able to coordinate together to find the missing assets.
“Work is a little like music,” he said. “If you hold a chord and stay in tune, you will produce a song. If you strive and work hard together, you will support the warfighter and never go wrong.”