Inadvertant wheels up landing in a RAAF Mirage fighter.

[Centaurus]

http://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/583570-raaf-mirage-wheels-up-landing-story-worth-reading.html#post9488065

Wheels up in a RAAF Mirage fighter. Well written indeed. Important flight safety factors discussed

[just another jocky]

A very interesting read, thank you.

[MPN11]

Thanks for an interesting read.

It brings back many memories of controlling RAAF Mirages at Tengah in the late 60s, when Nos 3 and 75 Sqns deployed to us for several months while the Butterworth runway was being resurfaced. In particular I remember watching the horrendous sight of the 15,000 ft flame-out pattern! I was also very familiar with the 'beep' that confirmed the gear was down and locked. Indeed, we still use a verbal 'beep' at home to acknowledge spousal messages as 'received and understood'!!

And a related tale from Tengah in that same time line. I was again the Local controller, and I recall the events as if it were yesterday. One of our Hunters called "final 3 greens" and was duly cleared to land/roll [whichever]. As he came around the corner to line up with rw 36, the aircraft didn't look quite right ... I grabbed the binoculars and, sure enough, I couldn't see the landing gear. I grabbed the microphone and called "Overshoot, Overshoot". However, at that selfsame moment the radio speaker crackled into life, blocking the frequency and my transmission. Here I am plaintively calling "Overshoot" and all I can hear is ... "Classic Magpie check in ... Magpie 2 ... Magpie 3 ... Magpie 4 ... Tengah Tower, this is Classic Magpie, taxi 4 for Butterworth at high level ..." By this stage it was all too late - the Hunter had heard nothing except the 4 Mirages and was now landing, without wheels.

The pilot and I discussed events later that day. IIRC his tale went something like this: "I flared for touchdown, and then realised I seemed lower than usual before the wheels have touched. I looked down, realised I had not got 3 greens and applied full power. I got airborne again, flew a circuit and landed." In fact, he had scraped both 230 gallon drop tanks on the runway, splitting the seam on one and abrading paint from the other. At a height of a couple or 4 feet, he got eventually back on the right side of the drag curve and managed to climb away.

It was a fair feat of flying, despite the original error, and his subsequent distinguished career was an indicator of his innate ability.

[Ogre]

Apologies for the diversion into levity, this French Mirage wheels up landing needs the sound as well as the subtitles...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlaJJXkS3uo

Great article though

[tartare]

A sobering reminder that even the most highly trained, capable and experienced can be overloaded by unfamiliar situations/circumstances.
One thing I remember about the Mirage, after sitting in the cockpit mock-up at Fightertown Richmond, is how incredibly cramped and tight fitting it feels.
To be frank, it felt like a death-trap... instrument panel and sides of cockpit just centimetres away from your legs and arms if you had to punch out.
I admire those who flew it - had no idea that those approach speeds were so high.

[SpazSinbad]

A4G NAS Nowra SOP HPA [High Precautionary Approach] was slightly modified to start at 10,000 feet overhead gliding in same direction as landing runway then turn left to start NATOPS HPA as seen in diagram. We were to NEVER touchdown on the 6,000 foot runways at NAS Nowra but great fun to practice with a late wave off. The Space Shuttle approaches [viewed from cockpit] look to be similar.


http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/NewNewAllBum/A4GnatopsHPAforum.gif~original (http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SpazSinbad/media/NewNewAllBum/A4GnatopsHPAforum.gif.html)

[sheppey]

More about this Mirage incident in the Australian general aviation and questions forum here: http://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/583570-raaf-mirage-wheels-up-landing-story-worth-reading.html

[SASless]

I know this is not a Mirage, a Fighter, or a Jet.....but I get a very good laugh every time I watch it!

I keep waiting to hear that infamous comment....."Merle!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McECUtM8fw