July 21, 2006 at 9:00 am
Article from Australian Aviation Express.
OUTSTANDING AIRMANSHIP DISPLAYED IN F-111 EMERGENCY LANDING: An RAAF RF-111C from 1SQN was forced to make an arrested belly landing at Amberley on July 18 after losing a main gear wheel on take off.
The crew of the aircraft, FLOFF Peter Komar and FLTLT Luke Warner were reportedly informed by the Amberley tower shortly after they took off around 11.00am that their left main wheel had separated from the aircraft. Observers on the ground told Australian Aviation that the wheel came to rest in a carpark near the control tower at the south-western end of the base’s ramp area.
The decision to use the airfield’s emergency arrestor cable and belly land the aircraft was taken after numerous alternative scenarios were discussed and trialled on the base’s F-111C simulator while the aircraft circled overhead.
FLOFF Komar had reportedly completed his conversion to the F-111 just two weeks before the incident and had just 70 hours on type, while FLTLT Warner is one the RAAF’s most experienced F-111 navigators and is perhaps best known as a member of the F-111G display crew at last year’s Avalon Airshow.
News footage of the emergency landing showed the aircraft approach the runway with its undercarriage retracted and its arrestor hook deployed. The F-111 was held steady only a few feet above the ground by FLOFF Komar while the hook was dragged along the tarmac before catching the arrestor wire. As the arrestor wire played out, the aircraft dropped onto the tarmac and was pulled up on its belly by the arrestor system in about 500 metres. The crew quickly exited the jet and ran clear while fire tenders sprayed the aircraft with foam and water to alleviate the danger of fire.
“It was pretty exciting circumstances there. A whole bunch of training and a whole bunch of people on the ground contributed to us safely landing the jet,” FLOFF Komar told Channel 7 news on July 19. “It was a pretty lengthy decision making process where we ran through all of our options and a whole bunch of considerations. It was in combination with the guys on the ground who were flying profiles in our simulator here.”
The aircraft, A8-143 is one of the RAAF’s four RF-111Cs. Although the aircraft didn’t appear to sustain any major structural damage, the repair process is likely to be a careful and drawn out one. The aircraft is likely to require a complete strip down and structural inspection, as well as the replacement of various underside panels and antennae, its ventral strakes, speed brake door, reconnaissance pack cradle, tail hook and hinge, and other discrete items.
This is believed to be the first recorded instance of any F-111 losing a main gear wheel in such circumstances, and Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson said the RAAF’s fleet will remain grounded until they are all inspected and cleared..