A Marine Corps F-18 fighter flying from Honolulu back to Iwakuni, Japan, made a precautionary landing on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge early today after experiencing a mechanical problem, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. 

The fighter, which had been taking part in Rim of the Pacific war games in Hawaii, landed safely at Henderson Airfield on Midway’s Sand Island, the federal agency said.

Part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225, the jet was flying in a group of four F-18s with a KC-10 refueling aircraft. Another F-18 also landed with the malfunctioning jet. The other aircraft circled the atoll and continued their transit to Wake Island. No one was injured.

Chuck Little, a spokesman for Marine Forces Pacific at Camp Smith, said it’s too early to tell how long the plane will be at Midway.

“I don’t know the nature of the situation that caused the pilot to feel like he had to make this precautionary landing,” Little said. “Until we know what’s wrong with the aircraft, we won’t know how long it will take (to fix).”

Midway, a national wildlife refuge, has become a landing strip not only for millions of seabirds but for commercial aircraft, such as the Delta Airlines 747 that made an emergency landing with 359 passengers on board last year, Fish and Wildlife said.

Military aircraft often request permission to land for refueling purposes, and ships at sea call for emergency medical services and boat and airlift help to provide critical transport via medevac to Honolulu, the agency said.   

“There is never a dull moment on this strategically positioned atoll,” said Barry Stieglitz, supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s national wildlife refuges in the Pacific.

In addition to Fish and Wildlife Service funding, money is provided by the Federal Aviation Administration to administer Henderson Airfield on Sand Island.

This year alone the refuge staff and its Defense Base Services, Inc., contractor managed more than 30 landings for refueling or emergency landing purposes. But Fish and Wildlife said that role may be in jeopardy.

“Unfortunately, providing these life-support services may soon be compromised due to a $1.2 million dollar shortfall in Midway’s budget beginning Oct. 1,” the agency said. 

“The budget has simply not kept up with increases in the cost of fuel and infrastructure maintenance,” Stieglitz said.