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Taiwanese F-16 makes emergency landing in Hawaii
June 7, 2022 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
A Republic of China Air Force F-16 on its way from Arizona to Taiwan made an emergency landing in Hawaii due to a front landing gear malfunction.
Runway 4R at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii was temporarily closed to air traffic after an F-16 (#93-0817) from the 21st Fighter Squadron (A training squadron based at Luke AB in the US) made an emergency landing at 14:45h local time on Monday.
The pilot used the arresting hook to stop the aircraft after the front landing gear had failed to deploy. The jet ended up sitting on its nose following the rough landing. The F-16 seems to have suffered minor damage and no injuries were reported.
The jet is part of a US$3.72 billion program to upgrade 145 F-16A/B aircraft to the F-16V version. The RoCAF F-16 was on a scheduled return to Taiwan for this upgrade. It had been at Luke AFB in Arizona for the past two decades, where about 10 RoCAF F-16s are used to train Taiwanese air force pilots.
Taiwan still has most of the 150 F-16s it acquired from the U.S. during the 1990s. Two years ago, it finalized a deal to purchase 66 more and began retrofitting its older airframes. The conclusion of the upgrade program in 2026 should see Taiwan operate one of Asia's largest F-16 fleets with around 200 jets. Taiwan activated its first F-16V Wing in November 2021.
Rotations between Taiwan and Arizona include stops in Hawaii or Guam, as well as mid-air refueling carried out by the USAF.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Newsweek that a U.S. pilot was operating the F-16 involved in Monday's incident and that they had declared an in-flight emergency at Honolulu airport.
RoCAF F-16A block 20 #93-0817 from the 21st FS had a front landing gear malfunction on June 6th, 2022. [Photo by Jc.airpowerimages]
The pilot used the arresting hook to stop the aircraft after the front landing gear had failed to deploy. The jet ended up sitting on its nose following the rough landing. The F-16 seems to have suffered minor damage and no injuries were reported.
The jet is part of a US$3.72 billion program to upgrade 145 F-16A/B aircraft to the F-16V version. The RoCAF F-16 was on a scheduled return to Taiwan for this upgrade. It had been at Luke AFB in Arizona for the past two decades, where about 10 RoCAF F-16s are used to train Taiwanese air force pilots.
Taiwan still has most of the 150 F-16s it acquired from the U.S. during the 1990s. Two years ago, it finalized a deal to purchase 66 more and began retrofitting its older airframes. The conclusion of the upgrade program in 2026 should see Taiwan operate one of Asia's largest F-16 fleets with around 200 jets. Taiwan activated its first F-16V Wing in November 2021.
Rotations between Taiwan and Arizona include stops in Hawaii or Guam, as well as mid-air refueling carried out by the USAF.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Newsweek that a U.S. pilot was operating the F-16 involved in Monday's incident and that they had declared an in-flight emergency at Honolulu airport.
Additional images:
RoCAF F-16A block 20 #93-0817 upon to touchdown at Honolulu IAP on June 6th, 2022 with a front landing gear malfunction. [Photo by Shutter.surprise7461]
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