A-10 Makes Wheels-up Landing

(April 12, 2008)

An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II participating in a Green Flag exercise made a successful wheels-up landing at Edwards AFB on March 25, 2008. The pilot, belonging to the 75th FS of Moody AFB, skillfully landed the aircraft on Edwards's runway 22. He was evaluated by flight surgeons and was unharmed.

While this might not be a tremendous piece of news, the Air Force has released pictures of the incident which prove without doubt that USAF personnel follow safety procedures by the letter:

(Photo USAF/Brad White. )

If you give this aircraft a good look, you will notice that chocks have been placed around the right landing gear. You don't want a 25,000 lb belly-landed aircraft blown away by a strong gale. For those who doubted it, the USAF does not take chances with security.