An Oregon Air National Guard F-15C on a May 2 homeland defense mission diverted to Joint Base Andrews, Md., due to an in-flight emergency and skidded off the runway, damaging the aircraft.
The aircraft, from the 142nd Wing in Portland, Ore., was assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Operation Noble Eagle homeland alert mission. Aircraft conducting that mission are usually armed with air-to-air missiles. The F-15C was forced to divert around 1:30 p.m., an Andrews spokesperson said in a statement.
When it touched down, the aircraft’s landing gear malfunctioned and the aircraft “came to rest on its fuselage.” There were no injuries to the pilot and runway operations were not affected, according to the base.
Photographs posted on social media and hosted by The War Zone show the aircraft’s radome torn off and fuel tanks damaged. The aircraft’s armament does not appear in the photographs.
The incident is under investigation.