Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD) — the enlisted rating responsible for the maintenance, inspection, repair, and overhaul of aircraft engines aboard naval aircraft — served aboard aircraft carriers in the carrier air wing maintenance departments and at naval air stations in aviation intermediate maintenance departments (AIMDs) and engine overhaul facilities throughout the WWII and Cold War eras. AD ratings maintained the full spectrum of naval aircraft propulsion — radial piston engines on WWII carrier aircraft, early jet turbine engines on 1950s naval aircraft, and modern turbofan and turboshaft engines on Cold War and post-Cold War carrier aircraft and helicopters. Aviation Machinist’s Mates performing engine maintenance in carrier hangar bays, carrier aviation intermediate maintenance spaces, and naval air station engine shops encountered asbestos-containing thermal insulation and gasket materials in aircraft engine hot section components and the engine test facility construction at naval air station engine test cells.

Aircraft Engine Asbestos Materials

AD ratings maintaining naval aircraft engines encountered asbestos in engine components:

  • Jet engine combustor and hot section insulation — early jet turbine engines installed on 1950s and early 1960s Navy carrier aircraft incorporated asbestos-containing thermal insulation materials on combustion chamber casings, turbine section external surfaces, and exhaust cone thermal insulation blankets. Aviation Machinist’s Mates performing hot section inspections and combustor maintenance on early jet engines at naval air station engine overhaul facilities and carrier intermediate maintenance departments worked in proximity to and handled asbestos-containing thermal insulation materials in early jet engine hot section components
  • Piston engine exhaust system gaskets — radial piston engines installed on WWII and early postwar naval aircraft — Pratt & Whitney R-2800, Wright R-1820, and Wright R-3350 series engines — incorporated asbestos-containing exhaust stack and collector ring gasket materials at the exhaust system connections. AD ratings performing piston engine overhaul and exhaust system maintenance encountered asbestos-containing exhaust gasket materials during piston engine exhaust system maintenance operations
  • Engine test cell facility construction — naval air station engine test cells — enclosed test facilities where aircraft engines were run at full power for post-overhaul acceptance testing — were constructed with asbestos-containing acoustic and thermal insulation to contain engine noise and exhaust heat in the test cell building construction. AD ratings operating aircraft engines in naval air station engine test cells accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing test cell building construction during engine acceptance testing operations

Carrier Hangar Bay Asbestos

AD ratings working in carrier hangar bays accumulated background asbestos exposure:

  • Carrier hangar bay construction — aircraft carrier hangar bays aboard WWII-era and Cold War carriers were constructed with the asbestos-containing ship interior construction materials consistent with naval vessel construction practice through the mid-1970s. AD ratings performing aircraft engine maintenance in carrier hangar bays accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-insulated hangar bay overhead construction, bulkhead insulation, and pipe insulation on overhead utilities systems throughout their carrier-based aviation maintenance duties
  • Hangar bay fire boundary insulation — the fire-resistant construction of carrier hangar bay boundaries incorporated asbestos-containing fireproofing materials on the hangar bay structural elements and boundary bulkheads. AD ratings working in carrier hangar bays were in sustained proximity to the asbestos-containing hangar bay fire boundary construction throughout their carrier air wing assignment

VA Claims for Aviation Machinist’s Mates

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy aviation maintenance. Aviation Machinist’s Mates who performed aircraft engine maintenance in carrier hangar bays and naval air station engine facilities and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.