Updated: F/A-18 has landing gear issue in Jacksonville, Florida.
F/A-18s similar to accident aircraft. (Photo by Itzel Guillen for Velozia Air)
A Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet suffered a rough landing this past Saturday at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) in Jacksonville, Florida. The incident, involving a crew of two, happened at 12:30 PM as the aircraft were arriving from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina to perform a flyover during Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars vs. St. Louis Rams game (NFL). The plane belonged to Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 (VM(AW)FA-224). The two crewmen were OK after the incident.
According to authorities at the airport, the aircraft was one in a flight of three planes. When the aircraft landed, the left side landing gear collapsed. The plane skidded a short distance on the runway. A left wing external tank may have taken the brunt of the damage and saved the aircraft some problems during repair. It is unknown whether the gear issue was known before the pilot attempted landing or if the first indication of a problem was during gear collapse. Some reports say the pilot radioed ahead and indicated that they had an unspecified mechanical issue before attempting to land, while other reports make no note of this.
The two remaining F/A-18s did complete the fly-over of the football game. The damaged aircraft remains in a Jacksonville Florida Air National Guard hanger.
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