F-111 nosewheel loss

[Magoo]

Hi all

Just heard from a buddy of mine at Amberley that an F-111 lost a nosewheel on takeoff about 10.45am local this morning, and is currently circling while they decide whether to try to land or jump out. No info on unit or whether it's a C or G yet.

Stay tuned...

Magoo

 

[KH-12]

Hi all

Just heard from a buddy of mine at Amberley that an F-111 lost a nosewheel on takeoff about 10.45am local this morning, and is currently circling while they decide whether to try to land or jump out. No info on unit or whether it's a C or G yet.

Stay tuned...

Magoo

Can they put it down on the grass and hold the nose up as long as possible, you would'nt want to eject if you could possibly avoid it.

 

[Magoo]

Can they put it down on the grass and hold the nose up as long as possible, you would'nt want to eject if you could possibly avoid it.

Problem with putting it on grass is, if the other nosewheel breaks off, then the strut will dig in and could flip the aircraft. I understand they are looking at a range of options from flying it out to sea and jumping out, to making a near-normal landing on a single nosewheel. Better not to speculate at this stage.

Fingers crossed for the guys inside!

Magoo

 

[rjmaz1]

They just landed on the normal runway, alot of sparks but the landing was perfect. Both crew came out fine.

I wonder if the F111 is a write off? Would need to get out the hammer and dolly out :

The good thing that will come out of this as everyone will realise how we cant keep waiting for the JSF.

 

[Magoo]

The good thing that will come out of this as everyone will realise how we cant keep waiting for the JSF.

...nor perhaps why we can't make the F-111s go until 2020+ as well.

But, as Defence keeps telling us, and a point which I agree with, is the F-111's retirement and the arrival of the JSF are not directly linked. The Hornets will assume the strike role in the interim until JSF is on deck.

But this probably isn't the time nor the place for such talk. Let's wait until the investigation is handed down before jumping to conclusions.

In the meantime, well done to all involved in the emergency landing.

Magoo

 

[Cootamundra]

The good thing that will come out of this as everyone will realise how we cant keep waiting for the JSF.

WTF?! I'm sorry but I've missed the obvious connection between this issue and the JSF

 

[111Lover]

Hi lads, first post, just wanted to tell you all that there is an amazing video of the belly landing taken by the Courier Mail just outside the Amberley perimeter fence.

Check it out: http://mp3.news.com.au/bcm/f111.wmv

 

[Magoo]

WTF?! I'm sorry but I've missed the obvious connection between this issue and the JSF

I hear ya mate. I guess some people just can't resist having a dig!

For those who have seen the video (thanks 111lover) - what an absolutely outstanding display of airmanship by the crew! To walk away from an arrested wheels-up landing in a 60t bomber is truly a great achievement - well done!

Magoo

 

[111Lover]

I hear ya mate. I guess some people just can't resist having a dig!

For those who have seen the video (thanks 111lover) - what an absolutely outstanding display of airmanship by the crew! To walk away from an arrested wheels-up landing in a 60t bomber is truly a great achievement - well done!

Magoo

I agree. That could happen to any aircraft. Look at the Eurofighter that crashed at RAF Corningsby in January, it's cause was that the front gear failed to descend. And it was brand-spanking new, this is the first time during it's 33 Year service history that an F-111 has lost a nosewheel!

 

[Magoo]

I agree. That could happen to any aircraft. Look at the Eurofighter that crashed at RAF Corningsby in January, it's cause was that the front gear failed to descend. And it was brand-spanking new, this is the first time during it's 33 Year service history that an F-111 has lost a nosewheel!

Turns out it wasn't a nosewheel, despite a "defence spokesman" initially reportedly saying otherwise. It was the left main, and therefore the only options were a wheels-up landing or to step out.

Great to see the crew were up to the task to save the valuable jet. Whether it's a Cat 5 or not remains to be seen, but at least they did the best job possible.

I loved the footage of the crew embracing in front of the jet once the pilot was out - great to see camaraderie is alive and well in the Pig community.

Magoo

 

[Rykehaven]

Turns out it wasn't a nosewheel, despite a "defence spokesman" initially reportedly saying otherwise. It was the left main, and therefore the only options were a wheels-up landing or to step out.

Great to see the crew were up to the task to save the valuable jet. Whether it's a Cat 5 or not remains to be seen, but at least they did the best job possible.

I loved the footage of the crew embracing in front of the jet once the pilot was out - great to see camaraderie is alive and well in the Pig community.

Magoo

Sorry Magoo, Airmen-speak is lost on me .

Cat-5? I'm assuming that you're referring to its salvageability and refurbishment.

BTW, any luck finding out what specifically went wrong with this plane? Did the wheel just fall off (maintenance goof? :smash ) or was it a systemic failure (old age).

With the way your government is grounding the fleet, it looks like they think it's the latter. OTOH, it could be that the politicians are just trying to reassure the public by visibly "doing something".

 

[Magoo]

Sorry Magoo, Airmen-speak is lost on me .

Cat-5? I'm assuming that you're referring to its salvageability and refurbishment.

BTW, any luck finding out what specifically went wrong with this plane? Did the wheel just fall off (maintenance goof? :smash ) or was it a systemic failure (old age).

With the way your government is grounding the fleet, it looks like they think it's the latter. OTOH, it could be that the politicians are just trying to reassure the public by visibly "doing something".

Sorry, 'Cat-5' denotes category five damage levels, which usually means it'd be a write-off.

No idea at this stage and it'll probably be a while before anything is known for sure. On the one hand, I hope it's not a maintenance error, but on the other, I hope it's not a fatigue related issue, especially as the Pigs have recently enjoyed a really good level of availability.

Magoo

 

[Occum]

Sorry Magoo, Airmen-speak is lost on me .

Cat-5? I'm assuming that you're referring to its salvageability and refurbishment.

BTW, any luck finding out what specifically went wrong with this plane? Did the wheel just fall off (maintenance goof? :smash ) or was it a systemic failure (old age).

With the way your government is grounding the fleet, it looks like they think it's the latter. OTOH, it could be that the politicians are just trying to reassure the public by visibly "doing something".

An absolutely brilliant piece of flying and by a young lad who only recently completed his conversion to the jet. Bravo Zulu/Well Done.

The other thing that should be noted is the level of coordination and professionalism by all involved in the recovery, from the boys who developed the landing iteration and ran the work ups in the Simulator to those who set up the runway and the wire.

All in all, a masterly handling of this emergency.

As for the wheel departing the aircraft, have never heard of this happening on the F-111 and it will be up to the Inquiry to determine. However, as many folks with the knowledge, expertise and wisdom of having been there before have been saying for some time now, deskilling in the Services is reaching dangerous levels. Question - What has happened to the F-111 Field Training Flight Courses at Amberley?

As for the aircraft, I would suggest there will be minimal damage due, in the first instance, to (as Magoo has said above) the superb piece of airmanship the crew and their support people on the ground displayed and the fact that the F-111 design considered such, albeit remote, a circumstance. One only has to look at the lower fuselage to see these design considerations. My guess would be speed brake door, ventral strakes, parts of RECCE cradle, lower fuselage antennas and some of the lower fuselage panels will need replacing plus some tin work along with a heavy landing inspection with internals. Certainly not a CAT5. Goes to show how robust and strong the little beastie really is.

Again, congratulations should be extended to all involved in the emergency recovery. The crew deserve a medal.

 

[Magoo]

As for the aircraft, I would suggest there will be minimal damage due, in the first instance, to (as Magoo has said above) the superb piece of airmanship the crew and their support people on the ground displayed and the fact that the F-111 design considered such, albeit remote, a circumstance. One only has to look at the lower fuselage to see these design considerations.

Yep, even Shep said the aircraft appeared to have only suffered superficial damage, although when you watch it hit in slow mo, there appears to be a bit of flexing in the forward fuselage.

My guess would be speed brake door, ventral strakes, parts of RECCE cradle, lower fuselage antennas and some of the lower fuselage panels will need replacing plus some tin work along with a heavy landing inspection with internals. Certainly not a CAT5. Goes to show how robust and strong the little beastie really is.

Perhaps also a radome, a new hook and mounting hinge, and maybe bomb bay and front gear doors too. No doubt there's plenty of these in the warehouse at Springfield!

Magoo

 

[icelord]

With the way your government is grounding the fleet, it looks like they think it's the latter. OTOH, it could be that the politicians are just trying to reassure the public by visibly "doing something".

This is now Standard if an "old" aircraft is damaged, fails in any way or crashes. Case in point, the seaking. But i doubt there will be a big hoo-ha over the F-111 compared with the king. Not enough people see the side of "s#*t happens, get it fixed and move on". So it may be a while before they re-fly, a tragedy for a workhorse of the RAAF.

I agree with all here, well done to the pilots, and for a bloke whose had less then a yr with the F-111 to "comfortably" land without gears shows how well these guys are trained. Odds on he won't need to buy a beer for a while.

 

[111Lover]

Not enough people see the side of "s#*t happens, get it fixed and move on". So it may be a while before they re-fly, a tragedy for a workhorse of the RAAF.

Exactly. The F-111 has certainly become a pariah in public opinon. The media seems to be making a big thing out of the fact that 10 aircrew have been killed since it's introduction into service in 1973. The Daily Telegraph even went so far as to head their article 'F-111 Crashes into History', which dosen't surprise me because it's a rag , but if they checked their facts they'd find that given the size of the fleet and in comparison with other Air Forces, it's a pretty low attrition rate.

 

[rossfrb_1]

arrestor hook used in landing

the hook used to snag the line placed across the runway, must have been an arrestor type hook. Is it a legacy of the fact that the f-111 was once planned as a carrier based plane? Or do most fast beasties have some sort of arrestor gear?
I would have thought that if the former, it would have been discarded years ago.

rb

 

[Aussie Digger]

the hook used to snag the line placed across the runway, must have been an arrestor type hook. Is it a legacy of the fact that the f-111 was once planned as a carrier based plane? Or do most fast beasties have some sort of arrestor gear?
I would have thought that if the former, it would have been discarded years ago.

rb

Nope, most fighter aircraft have them, for this type of emergency rather than the fact that they were formerly intended for aircraft carrier operations, or so I'm told...

 

[111Lover]

The F-111 that made the belly landing was RF-111C A8-143, the DoD has just released an image gallery of the landing plus some shots of the Pilot and Navigator with the aircraft. They look pleased with themselves, as they should be!

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2006/Jul/20060720.cfm

 

[Aussie Digger]

The F-111 that made the belly landing was RF-111C A8-143, the DoD has just released an image gallery of the landing plus some shots of the Pilot and Navigator with the aircraft. They look pleased with themselves, as they should be!

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2006/Jul/20060720.cfm

Has it been stated anywhere if it was a "G" or "C" model??? A "G" probably wouldn't be repaired I'd imagine...