Images circulating online show the aircraft on the nose of a Japanese base.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor experienced nose gear problems at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan, April 11, 2024.
At about 10:30 a.m. local time, the aircraft experienced an emergency situation on the runway, according to eyewitnesses and TV reports from Okinawa Television. The image shows the stealth aircraft being towed with its nose gear retracted.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed yet, it appears that the nose gear collapsed while the aircraft was being towed down the runway with its engine turned off.
The Raptor had an accident. pic.twitter.com/pnnM2Wp6Pm
— Okapi Holidays (NOW Okinawa) (@oVRkLDpXzuqTf1n) April 12, 2024
F-22 trouble at Kadena Base: Is the front wheel defective? (Okinawa TV OTV)#YahooNews
https://t.co/ge8L647MzG— Stabania @ Coffee Addiction (@sutabania) April 11, 2024
Fire trucks and other vehicles rushed onto runway 23L/5R, but no fire occurred and staff were seen inspecting the aircraft.
past events
This isn't the first time the F-22's landing gear has had problems.
In March 2022, an image of an F-22 Raptor with its nose cone buried in the ground at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, was posted online after the aircraft suffered an apparent landing gear accident. A statement from Eglin's 96th Test Wing confirmed the accident occurred during landing.
A year ago, on March 15, 2021, an F-22 Raptor belonging to the 325th Fighter Wing suffered a ground accident at the Eglin Air Force Base airfield in Florida. The base also confirmed that the F-22 suffered an emergency during flight and landed safely, but suffered damage when the front part collapsed on the runway.
“Common” Problems
The F-22 fleet, as well as others, has had a variety of issues with its nose gear.
As recently reported in detail, the F-35 Lighting II aircraft also has a history of nose gear problems. On January 26, 2024, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California suffered a nose landing gear collapse while parked immediately after a training mission. Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.
Our exclusive photos show an F-35C, CF-89/170109, codenamed “WL-04”, parked on top of the glass fairing of the electro-optical targeting system under its awning. According to unconfirmed reports, after we brought the aircraft to a stop without incident, the pilot began to descend the ladder as the front landing gear slowly began to retract.
Previously, on December 1, 2022, an F-35B Lightning II fighter belonging to the Marine Fighter Attack Force (VMFA) 121 'Green Knights' suffered an accident on the ground at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The aircraft was being towed when its front wheel broke off during a precautionary landing at the base due to electrical problems, leaving the fifth-generation aircraft nose-to-tail on the taxiway.
The F-35B accident that occurred at Kadena in 2022 was surprisingly similar to the accident that occurred with the U.S. Air Force F-35A in 2018. In this incident, an F-35A Lightning II belonging to the 58th Fighter Squadron returned to base due to a flight emergency. The aircraft landed and parked safely with the front nose gear collapsing.
On June 8, 2020, another F-35A suffered a gear collapse on the runway after landing at Hill AFB.