An F-15E Strike Eagle deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, landed safely despite a missing landing gear wheel, the Air Force’s 18th Wing said Monday morning.
The two airmen flying the fighter were uninjured in the emergency landing, the Air Force said in a statement, with emergency personnel responding to the scene.
The 18th Wing said the wheel was recovered on the flightline at U.S. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean. The wheel was discovered missing while the F-15 was in mid-flight, and landed at Kadena at about 6:40 p.m. local time — or just before dawn Monday morning in the United States.
The Air Force said more information on the mishap will be released as it becomes available.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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