A Dispute of Some Gravity

The municipal leaders of Stillwater, Oklahoma assert the runway and taxiways of the city’s airport, Stillwater Regional (SWO), sustained significant damage when a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III carrying the U.S. Air Force Academy women’s basketball team allegedly landed without prior authorization on Sunday, 13 December 2022.

Stillwater city officials set forth in a statement that the C-17—the second-largest aircraft in the USAF’s expansive inventory—touched down ahead of a women’s basketball game that pitted the Falcons of the USAF Academy against the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State University. According to said officials, the published maximum weight capacity of Stillwater Regional Airport’s primary runway is 310,000-pounds for aircraft with dual tandem main landing gear; the C-17 in dispute landed at a weight of approximately 400,000 pounds—45-tons over SWO’s weight limit.

The statement continued: “Airport staff have temporarily patched surface damage to the [SWO] runway and taxiways but must have the sub-surface assessed for potential long-term damage.”

Stillwater officials gave no estimate of the repair costs but declared that all charter flights arriving SWO are required to receive permission prior to utilizing the airport.

“Charter flights are required to receive permission prior to using the airport to ensure safety equipment, such as the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) services, are in place as well as to make sure the airport can accommodate all needs,” the august city leaders declared. “In this case, this prior approval was neither requested nor granted by airport administration.”

The U.S. Air Force disputed the city’s characterization of the incident, stating the flight had indeed been coordinated with SWO airport personnel a full five-days prior to the C-17’s arrival.

In an email to the Associated Press, Second Lieutenant Marjorie Schurr, chief of public affairs for the Air Force’s 911th Airlift Wing, averred: “The actual cause of the damage is unknown at this time. Internal Air Force reports indicate that the aircraft was within weight limits of triple-tandem landing gear and that the flight was coordinated with airport officials prior to landing.”

Stillwater officials countered Lieutenant Schurr’s remarks, alleging that in October 2022, the U.S. Air Force Academy baseball team requested to land at SWO aboard a C-17, but were denied permission to do so on account of subject aircraft exceeding the facility’s weight limits.

Stillwater spokeswoman Dawn Jones stated that SWO officials have asked the Federal Aviation Administration to open an investigation into the occurrence.

USAF Academy spokesman Dean Miller explained that military aircraft are often used to transport college players as a means by which to contemporaneously save taxpayer money and support required military airlift training. “When military airlift is impractical or unavailable, commercial airline tickets are purchased."

That most if not all Stillwater city officials fail to fathom salient differences between dual and triple-tandem landing gear architectures is likely.

That the Cowgirls beat the Falcons 62-44 is certain.

FMI: www.af.mil