On 31 July 2015, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRC East) Radiation Safety Officer (
RSO) was notified that an H-53E ice detector probe was missing. The ice detector probe contains a solid 50 microcurie source of
Strontium 90 (
Sr-90) sealed within a metal casing. The
RSO was notified about the missing probe by the H-53 Task Manager. The last known date and location of the ice detector probe was 4 November 2014 in the Aircraft Line Fiberglass Repair Shop. It is believed the probe has departed FRC East and MCAS [Marine Corps Air Station] Cherry Point as scrap/trash.
To prevent future recurrence, the following actions will occur:
a. The aircraft line will include a mandatory task line to remove the ice detector probe from the duct any time the duct is removed from the aircraft.
B. A training course will be established to distribute throughout the facility for proper identification, handling, and disposal instructions of all radioactive components. Prior to this incident, training was tailored to specific shops which process these parts. A need for broader training has been recognized and will now include those areas which would not normally receive a radioactive component.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than
IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf