Travis AFB, CA — A C-17 Globemaster III operated by the 60th Air Mobility Wing declared an in-flight emergency Sunday and diverted to the nearest available airfield after the aircraft’s espresso machine experienced what the crew is describing as “a complete and catastrophic failure at altitude.”
The aircraft was four hours into a nine-hour mission.
“We had options,” said the aircraft commander, a major with fourteen years of flight experience. “We always have options. This was not one of them.”
The aircraft landed safely. All personnel aboard are accounted for. The espresso machine is not expected to recover.
According to the flight engineer’s incident report, the malfunction was first detected when the machine failed to produce adequate pressure during the crew’s second espresso cycle of the flight. Initial troubleshooting was conducted in accordance with established procedures. The procedures did not work. A second attempt was made. It also did not work.
At that point, the aircraft commander made the call.
“You don’t continue a nine-hour mission without espresso,” he said. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to accept. That’s not a risk anyone should be willing to accept.”
The divert added two hours and forty minutes to the mission timeline. The loadmaster filed a separate report describing the mood in the cargo bay as “tense.” Three pallets of equipment were delayed. Nobody has asked about the equipment.
Maintenance crews at the divert field assessed the machine upon landing. The fault was identified as a failed pressure valve, a repair estimated at forty-five minutes. The aircraft commander requested it be done in thirty. It was done in thirty.
“We take care of our people,” said the crew chief, who declined to elaborate.
The aircraft completed its original mission fourteen hours behind schedule. The crew reported no further incidents.
When asked whether the divert was, in retrospect, the correct call, the aircraft commander did not hesitate.
“We’re all here, aren’t we?”
The Air Force declined to comment on whether espresso equipment is listed as mission-critical on the C-17’s minimum equipment list. A spokesperson said only that “crew comfort and readiness are taken seriously.”
The machine has since been replaced. The new one has a backup pressure valve.
The crew requested that specifically.
