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A Marine Corps pilot flying an F-18 fighter from Honolulu to Iwakuni, Japan, made a precautionary landing on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge early today because of a mechanical problem, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
The jet, which had been taking part in Rim of the Pacific war games in Hawaii, was landed safely at Henderson Airfield on Midway’s Sand Island, the federal agency said.
Part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225, the jet was 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 to Wake Island. No one was injured.
Chuck Little, a spokesman for Marine Forces Pacific at Camp Smith, said how long the plane will be at Midway is unknown.
"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 onboard last year, Fish and Wildlife said.
Military aircraft often request permission to land to refuel, and ships call for emergency medical services and boat and airlift help to provide critical transport to Honolulu, the agency said.
"There is never a dull moment on this strategically positioned atoll," said Barry Stieglitz, supervisor of the service’s national wildlife refuges in the Pacific.
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