{"id":26660199,"date":"2026-10-05T10:36:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=26660199"},"modified":"2026-10-05T10:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:36:37","slug":"raaf-f-111-belly-landing-amberley-2006-a8-143","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/raaf-f-111-belly-landing-amberley-2006-a8-143\/","title":{"rendered":"Wheels Up at Amberley: The Day an RAAF F-111 Landed on Its Belly"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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The control tower was on the radio: their left main wheel had just fallen off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What followed was four hours of circling over southeast Queensland, a landing plan worked out in simulators on two continents, and one of the most-watched pieces of military aviation footage ever filmed in Australia: a swing-wing strike jet sliding down the runway on its belly in a shower of sparks, its hook snatching the arrester wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Date:<\/strong> Tuesday 18 July 2006<\/li><li><strong>Place:<\/strong> RAAF Base Amberley, near Ipswich, Queensland<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> RF-111C A8-143, No. 1 Squadron, No. 82 Wing<\/li><li><strong>Call sign:<\/strong> Buckshot Colt 2<\/li><li><strong>Crew:<\/strong> Flying Officer Peter Komar (pilot) and Flight Lieutenant Luke Warner (navigator)<\/li><li><strong>Problem:<\/strong> Left main wheel came off shortly after takeoff, as the gear was retracting<\/li><li><strong>Outcome:<\/strong> Wheels-up landing onto the arrester cable just after 2 p.m.; both crew unhurt<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft fate:<\/strong> Never flew again; buried at Swanbank landfill in 2011<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Wheel Where It Should Not Be<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aircraft was A8-143, one of the F-111Cs Australia had taken delivery of in 1973 and later converted to RF-111C reconnaissance standard. On 18 July 2006 it was flying with No. 1 Squadron on what the ABC described as a routine flight. As the landing gear retracted after takeoff, the left main wheel separated and fell away. The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd, told reporters it was something that had never happened in the 30-year flying history of the type in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crew did not see it go. They heard it from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We had been advised by the RAAF Amberley control tower that our left wheel had fallen off on take-off.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Luke Warner<\/strong> &mdash; navigator of A8-143, Defence News, September 2020<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/raaf-f-111c-a8-143-whenuapai-1986.jpg\" alt=\"The nose of RAAF F-111C A8-143 photographed around 1986\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A8-143, the aircraft involved, photographed in New Zealand around 1986, years before its conversion to RF-111C standard. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Four Hours of Circling<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With one main wheel gone, landing on the remaining gear was a gamble: the bare leg could dig into the runway and send the jet out of control. The options were to eject over the sea, losing the aircraft, or to bring it down with all the gear up and let the airframe take the punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crew stayed airborne for about four hours, burning down fuel, while the plan was worked out on the ground. It was not, as the viral clips claim, a decision left to a few engineers. According to Warner, pilots and support staff in Australia and in the United States flew the problem in simulators to find the best approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We flew for four hours around RAAF Base Amberley burning fuel while pilots and support staff both in Australia and the United States worked in simulators to develop the best landing plan.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Luke Warner<\/strong> &mdash; Defence News, September 2020<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pilot, Flying Officer Peter Komar, was reported at the time to be in his late twenties and relatively new to the F-111. Warner, beside him in the side-by-side cockpit, was the more experienced of the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i5jQDOxBl_M\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Sparks on the Runway<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just after 2 p.m. local time, Komar brought A8-143 in on a long, low approach with the gear up. The F-111 touched down on its underside and slid along the runway trailing sparks and smoke, and its tailhook caught the arresting cable stretched across the runway, which hauled it to a stop. Fire crews covered the aircraft in foam as soon as it halted. Both men were out within seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Catching the arrestor cable and with sparks flying everywhere&hellip; we jumped from the jet as quickly as we could as there was a real chance of an explosion.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Luke Warner<\/strong> &mdash; Defence News, September 2020<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KIyYK9oz9Go\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister John Howard praised the crew for landing &ldquo;with no scratches, a few sparks and some sensational footage for the TV networks&rdquo;. The RAAF grounded all 26 of its F-111s the same day while it checked the rest of the fleet, and flying resumed about a week later. Warner, interviewed by the ABC two days after the landing, was unshaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a capable jet. If anything, my confidence in the jet is building, that you can land a jet like that on the runway, slide along and it lets you walk away.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Luke Warner<\/strong> &mdash; speaking to the ABC, 20 July 2006<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a25c3NWrGQ4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Happened to A8-143<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The damage to the underside was considered repairable, but with the F-111 fleet due to retire within a few years, the RAAF chose not to repair it. A8-143 never flew again. The last Australian F-111s flew on 3 December 2010, and in November 2011 A8-143 was among the airframes buried at the Swanbank landfill near Ipswich, a few kilometres from the runway where it had made its last landing. Its fin and rudder are reported to survive at Amberley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/raaf-f-111c-dump-and-burn-four-ship.jpg\" alt=\"Four RAAF F-111C aircraft performing a low-pass dump and burn\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The F-111 became an Australian icon, not least for its &ldquo;dump and burn&rdquo; displays. Four RAAF F-111Cs in a low-pass dump and burn. Photo: Wal Nelowkin, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the Viral Clips Get Wrong<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The footage resurfaces regularly on social media, usually with the same caption. The date, the place and the crew names are right. Three details are not. The crew were not both new to the jet: the pilot was relatively inexperienced, but the navigator was not. The landing plan was not simply the conclusion of &ldquo;engineers on the ground&rdquo;; it was developed by pilots and support staff in Australia and the United States in simulators. And belly landings of military jets are rarer than they used to be, but they are not &ldquo;one of only a few&rdquo; on modern fighters. What Defence itself claims is narrower and more impressive: Warner&rsquo;s crew was one of only two ever to land an F-111 on its belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: ABC News (19 and 20 July 2006); Associated Press via Fox News (18 July 2006); Defence News, &ldquo;A place in history for skill and bravery&rdquo; (3 September 2020); Ipswich First (30 September 2020); Aviation Safety Network record 137480; RAAF F-111 accident summary (F-111 veterans); FlightGlobal; Wikipedia, List of General Dynamics F-111 aircraft operated by the RAAF and General Dynamics F-111C (citing Wilson and Pittaway, 2010)<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What happened in the F-111 belly landing at Amberley?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 18 July 2006 an RAAF RF-111C, serial A8-143, lost its left main wheel shortly after taking off from RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. After about four hours burning fuel, the crew landed with the gear retracted, sliding on the aircraft&rsquo;s belly until its tailhook caught the runway arresting cable. Both crew were unhurt.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who flew the F-111 that belly-landed at Amberley?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The pilot was Flying Officer Peter Komar and the navigator was Flight Lieutenant Luke Warner of No. 1 Squadron RAAF. Komar was reported to be relatively new to the F-111; Warner was the more experienced crew member.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the F-111 land with its wheels up?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">With one main wheel missing, landing on the remaining gear risked the bare leg digging into the runway and the crew losing control. A wheels-up landing onto the arrester cable, planned by pilots and support staff in Australia and the United States using simulators, was judged the safest option short of ejecting.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was the F-111 repaired after the belly landing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. The damage to A8-143 was reportedly repairable, but with the RAAF F-111 fleet close to retirement it was not repaired and never flew again. It was buried at the Swanbank landfill near Ipswich in November 2011.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How rare was the Amberley F-111 belly landing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Very rare for the type. The RAAF said a wheel had never come off an F-111 in 30 years of Australian service, and Defence describes Luke Warner&rsquo;s crew as one of only two crews ever to land an F-111 on its belly.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did Australia retire the F-111?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Royal Australian Air Force retired its last F-111s on 3 December 2010, after 37 years of service. They were replaced by F\/A-18F Super Hornets.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened in the F-111 belly landing at Amberley?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 18 July 2006 an RAAF RF-111C, serial A8-143, lost its left main wheel shortly after taking off from RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. After about four hours burning fuel, the crew landed with the gear retracted, sliding on the aircraft\u2019s belly until its tailhook caught the runway arresting cable. Both crew were unhurt.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who flew the F-111 that belly-landed at Amberley?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The pilot was Flying Officer Peter Komar and the navigator was Flight Lieutenant Luke Warner of No. 1 Squadron RAAF. Komar was reported to be relatively new to the F-111; Warner was the more experienced crew member.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the F-111 land with its wheels up?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"With one main wheel missing, landing on the remaining gear risked the bare leg digging into the runway and the crew losing control. A wheels-up landing onto the arrester cable, planned by pilots and support staff in Australia and the United States using simulators, was judged the safest option short of ejecting.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was the F-111 repaired after the belly landing?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The damage to A8-143 was reportedly repairable, but with the RAAF F-111 fleet close to retirement it was not repaired and never flew again. It was buried at the Swanbank landfill near Ipswich in November 2011.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How rare was the Amberley F-111 belly landing?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Very rare for the type. The RAAF said a wheel had never come off an F-111 in 30 years of Australian service, and Defence describes Luke Warner\u2019s crew as one of only two crews ever to land an F-111 on its belly.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did Australia retire the F-111?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Royal Australian Air Force retired its last F-111s on 3 December 2010, after 37 years of service. They were replaced by F\/A-18F Super Hornets.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/upper-heyford-1992-f-111e-lindh-mcguire-crew-escape-module\/\">Upper Heyford 1992: The F-111 Crew Who Stayed at the Controls<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-135-towed-f-111-vietnam-locked-toggles-hickman\/\">The KC-135 That Towed a Crippled F-111 Out of North Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/morphing-wing-afti-f-111-mission-adaptive-wing-acte-airbus-2026\/\">The Morphing Wing Already Flew, in 1985, on an F-111<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/variable-sweep-swing-wing-x-5-f-14-tornado-mig-23\/\">The Wing That Changed Shape in Mid-Air<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 18 July 2006 an RAAF F-111 lost a main wheel on takeoff. Four hours later it slid down the runway at Amberley on its belly, caught by the arrester wire. What happened, who flew it, and what the viral clips get wrong.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":26659481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26660199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F-111 Belly Landing at Amberley, 2006 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In July 2006 an RAAF F-111 lost a wheel on takeoff and belly-landed at Amberley on the arrester wire. 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