McDonnell Suffers Another C-17 Setback : Defense: Mishap with a huge tool used to build the jet is another example of the firm’s “lack of discipline,” a Pentagon official says.

When military aircraft programs fall behind schedule by months and then years, the problems often grow out of a series of events that seem trivial by themselves but eventually transform into classic Pentagon horror stories.

The McDonnell Douglas C-17 cargo jet program, already about a year and a half behind schedule and an estimated $500 million over its contract ceiling, fell victim to another such seemingly minor mishap last week that is threatening to either delay production or add to the company’s loss on the program.

Although the accident--involving a massive “fixture” tool at the firm’s production facility in Long Beach--is being downplayed by the company as a minor event, it is part of a pattern of foibles that has become a serious concern to Air Force and Defense Department analysts.

The Air Force has recently acknowledged that the C-17 will miss its most recent schedule to fly for the first time in June. Air Force Secretary Donald B. Rice recently testified that the aircraft will fly “this summer,” which opens a window that extends until September.

The accident, which occurred last Friday, did not contribute to that delay, but it could hamper the program.

“It is a pretty minor thing,” a Douglas spokesman said. “It has an insignificant impact on the program. It will not delay the schedule.”

But Air Force officials are less sanguine, saying they are still evaluating the time to repair the tool, which is partly owned by the Air Force.

“It is a big deal,” one key Pentagon official said. “There was no procedure followed. It isn’t clear that they had a procedure for dealing with a situation like this. It was another case of a lack of discipline.”

This is not the first setback for the program. The aircraft is heavier than planned. Several major subcontractors have been fired, and the Air Force has lifted its certification of Douglas’ purchasing system.

The latest incident occurred when a Douglas worker reported for the morning shift early on May 3 and noticed that a hydraulic jack, called a pogo, had retracted out of position, according to Douglas C-17 management sources.

The pogo was one of about 20 jacks supporting a 95-foot series of lithium-aluminum alloy beams that were the starting point for making the C-17’s floor. The pogos were supporting the beams about 10 feet in the air so that an automatic riveting machine could fasten the structure.

Believing that he could reset the single pogo, which was a master jack for the entire system, the worker “energized” the tool. Rather than moving the single pogo back into its correct position, it caused a series of others pogos to sink out of position. Some pogos retracted and others did not.

“It was human error,” the management source said.

The floor structure then slipped inside the tool, causing “significant damage” to the $3-million tool, according to confidential sources. The company officially says there was “considerable damage” and that the tool costs $1.3 million. The tool is a large iron structure, somewhat like a building skeleton before the walls are put on. It is custom-designed for the C-17 and cannot be easily replaced.

When the floor slipped, it both twisted and bent, then returned to its proper shape after it was removed. It is now believed to be acceptable and will be used in the fourth production C-17.

“It would have been a disaster if the whole floor had slid off the tool and taken the tool with it,” the management source said. “The tool looked horrible. Cracks in weldments. Bolts were sheared off. It looked like the Nimitz Freeway. It could have been Black Friday, but we’re OK now.”

But a spokesman asserted that the damage was hardly noticeable. Douglas rejected a Los Angeles Times request to photograph the damage.

Meanwhile, it will take at least 60 days to repair the tool, a spokesman said. In the meantime, Douglas will build the next floor without the tool, which it believes will not delay the program. But it will likely have to assign additional workers, because the process will be less efficient without the tool.

“We think it is pretty well under control,” the spokesman said.

A Douglas spokeswoman said the floor involved will go into an aircraft not due for delivery until 1992, providing adequate breathing room to make up any lost time.

Douglas officials say that C-17 development is 85% complete and that the firm anticipates little further cost growth. Douglas asserts that it will not break through its contract ceiling of $6.6 billion for development and production of six aircraft. The Air Force estimates that it will overrun the ceiling by $500 million. Douglas must pay for any overruns.

As for the first flight, Douglas says it will be on schedule in June. Employees are working feverishly to complete the aircraft, correcting last-minute problems.

Before it flies, government officials must sign off on all of the plane’s unfinished parts and on all waivers and deviations that do not conform to the original design.