Wheels - Up Landing

Charlie · Posted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:30:39 Post Subject: Wheels - Up Landing

The following is from the former F-111 commander for the Aussie Air Force regarding the F-111 gear-up landing. He was also an exchange pilot with the USAF in the RF-4C, circa 1975-78.

One main wheel fell off at lift-off. The tower notified the crew who had not noticed any difference. Not a situation that is covered in the books. They flew around for 4hrs, burning off fuel and deciding on a plan. Alternatives being jump out over the sea, or make an attempt to get it down in one piece. They worked out a plan that if the pilot was losing control during the landing the nav would punch them out. They had IPs trying different solutions in the sim. Finally they flew the approach at about 1.5 metres off the ground for a few hundred metres with the gear up and the hook dragging along the ground. They engaged the append cable, put her down perfectly with an understandable bump but no injuries, came to a fairly quick halt, and fairly calmly egressed the cockpit.

The pilot was a Flying Officer(1ST LT) just off transition training and he performed to perfection. The nav was a 29 year old Flight Lieutenant (Capt) who also performed to perfection.

Prelim investigation shows most likely cause was a wrongly fitted locking pin on the big nut that holds the wheel on. FAAAK! They found another 3 jets with the same problem!

knight0334 · Posted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:30:08 Post Subject:

wow..

Never seen an Aardvark use an arrester cable/hook for landing. Those F111's aren't small like fighters either.. more like light bombers(which what they do/did).

Keep post'n the plane pics, F1.. I enjoy the crap out of them. Smile

I used to be a buff on the USAF hardware. ..even designed a plane in my youth and submitted it to the AF - which got forwarded to the Pentagon (letters to prove it)

treekodar · Posted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:38:02 Post Subject:

Where's that last picture where he catapults out and the plane explodes?

F111 is old, it's JSF or nothing.

slugbug · Rated XXX Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 772 Location: Canada

I wonder if he leggo his eggo during the sudden stop.

Shadowsilence · Posted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:14:27 Post Subject:

That has got to suck. Apparently the maintenance crew never heard of attention to detail.

sbrehm72255 · Posted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:40:46 Post Subject:

The maintenance crew/mechanic and tech inspector are both in a load of trouble over that deal, if in fact the maintenance was even logged at all like its supposed to.

Kilamon · Rated XXX Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 811

At least the maintenance crew was consistent in screwing up. Grin