F-111 fleet grounded after emergency landing
| Rating: 5!
Australia's fleet of F-111 bombers has been temporarily grounded after one of the jets was forced to make an emergency landing when one of its main wheels fell off.
The jet's 29-year-old pilot had only recently graduated from an F-111 course, but managed to bring the crippled plane down safely on its belly at Amberley air base, west of Brisbane.
The pilot and his 26-year-old navigator circled for about three hours to use up fuel while emergency landing options were tested in a simulator.
The plane touched down safely just after 2:00pm AEST, using arresting wires strung across the runway to rapidly slow it down.
Witness, Graham Porter, saw the drama unfold.
"You could see the smoke rising from when it made contact with the ground," he said.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has praised the jet's crew and says the entire F-111 fleet will be inspected.
"They will be temporarily grounded for reasons that most Australians would understand," Dr Nelson said.
"But on behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian community, I particularly express my admiration and my gratitude for the professionalism of all those concerned in seeing that what could have been a disaster involving the aircrew and the aircraft has been averted."
Group Captain Leo Davies says there will be a full investigation.
"Operating an aeroplane that is as complicated and leading edge as the F-111 is of course, things will go wrong from time to time," he said.
"He says the pilot and navigator will soon be back in the air."
The jet's 29-year-old pilot had only recently graduated from an F-111 course, but managed to bring the crippled plane down safely on its belly at Amberley air base, west of Brisbane.
The pilot and his 26-year-old navigator circled for about three hours to use up fuel while emergency landing options were tested in a simulator.
The plane touched down safely just after 2:00pm AEST, using arresting wires strung across the runway to rapidly slow it down.
Witness, Graham Porter, saw the drama unfold.
"You could see the smoke rising from when it made contact with the ground," he said.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has praised the jet's crew and says the entire F-111 fleet will be inspected.
"They will be temporarily grounded for reasons that most Australians would understand," Dr Nelson said.
"But on behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian community, I particularly express my admiration and my gratitude for the professionalism of all those concerned in seeing that what could have been a disaster involving the aircrew and the aircraft has been averted."
Group Captain Leo Davies says there will be a full investigation.
"Operating an aeroplane that is as complicated and leading edge as the F-111 is of course, things will go wrong from time to time," he said.
"He says the pilot and navigator will soon be back in the air."
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15 years ago (22.11.2010 20:32)
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+1
5
I think that the ground plane just started to fall apart, I think it is obvious that the harder and smoother surface, the less damage will receive the aircraft.
− NoFL,
15 years ago,
#
5
Excellent priter, even without the landing gear!
− Eber,
15 years ago,
#
5
...
− pavel_pilot,
15 years ago,
#
5
always wondered pchmu when the plane put on the belly, is directed to concrete rather than soil. So in fact the likelihood increases vozgaraniya??
− alel5,
15 years ago,
#
He sat down with the hook, with the rope got caught
− dr_anthony,
15 years ago,
#
+1
Do not talk nonsense. F-111 had not equipped with the hook.
− Эрих Хартман,
15 years ago,
#
And what is the name that dragged him?
− FireFly,
15 years ago,
#
first to read the article, watched video CAREFULLY. And then just nonsense - it is now Avsim as the slice of our society))
− dr_anthony,
15 years ago,
#
arresting hook))
− dr_anthony,
15 years ago,
#
Understandable. Hence hook not equipped with:)
− FireFly,
15 years ago,
#
In order not to tip over
− Vladimir_76,
15 years ago,
#
In the Australian Air Force also has the nickname of Pig)
− Anthony,
15 years ago,
#
When landing on the ground is likely proryvaniya nasal membranes and then the plane starts to scrape and collect the earth like a bulldozer, she gets into the cab and ... "A mouthful of earth! Hook on the issue, I quote: "In building requirements for prospective aircraft program TFX (1961) planned to develop a single aircraft type for the solution of shock problems and gain air superiority for the Air Force and Navy. To realize these requirements in full and did not work, however, in the guise of an aircraft conflicting claims have left their mark (in memory of the idea to put the F-111 aircraft on an aircraft carrier arresting gear is hook and red markings on the machinery).
− pavel_pilot,
15 years ago,
#