Edwin Lowe Proctor

Preferred Name: Ed
Date of Birth: October 28, 1929
Highest Military Grade: 0-5 – Lieutenant Colonel
Hometown: Lincolnton, NC
Headed West Date: May 2, 2019

“On 11 September 1970, Lt Col McCampbell was assigned a Functional Check Flight upgrading sortie, with Lt Col Edwin L. Proctor, the Instructor Pilot, occupying the rear seat of a T-33A. After 30 minutes of flight, one negative “G” was pulled for three to four seconds to check the fuel vent warning system; no abnormal conditions were noted. Approximately five minutes after the negative G maneuver, right aileron was applied to roll level from a left turn. The pilot stated it felt as though the stick was bumping against a solid object.

The pilots analyzed their situation and found that the aircraft could be controlled in the landing configuration
with only rudder and left aileron. They decided to terminate the mission. Since they would be making a downwind landing, the pilots requested that the departure end barrier be removed and that crash equipment be summoned. Then, making a wide left pattern and approaching downwind so that a left crosswind would be affecting the path of their flight, the pilots flew their aircraft to an uneventful full-stop landing.

Investigation disclosed that a bucking bar, used to replace rivets in the static ground receptacle beneath the right wing, had been left within the wing and had wedged itself against the aileron control cables.

The professional competence demonstrated by these pilots, resulted in the saving of a valuable aircraft.
WELL DONE!” (1)

Source: (1) https://www.safety.af.mil/Portals/71/documents/Magazines/FSM/1970s/197106%20-%20AerospaceSafety.pdf