F-16 makes emergency landing

* Two flights from Japan, Korea cancelled
* Hydraulic issues said to cause emergency landing

U.S. Air Force F-16 Falcon fighter made an emergency landing at the main runway of the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport yesterday morning, shutting down the airport’s runway until midnight and causing the cancellation of two commercial flights.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority confirmed in a brief statement that the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit received a report from the Air Traffic Control Tower around 10:56am yesterday of an aircraft incident involving a military aircraft on runway 7/25. ARFF personnel, CPA said, immediately responded within minutes of the incident and secured the scene.

The agency reported that the aircraft was intact and the pilot was unharmed.

In a separate statement from the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam a few hours after, it said that the F-16 Falcon fighter made the emergency landing at the airport about 11am with one person-the pilot-onboard.

It said the aircraft was in a training mission in support of COPE North 2012 and assigned to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.

The statement said that upon landing, the aircraft rolled off the end of the runway. There was no reported damage to the airfield while damage to the aircraft was unknown. The pilot, it added, also reported zero injuries.

As of press time, the Andersen Air Force Base was putting together a response team composed of aircraft maintenance personnel who will provide on-scene assessment. The U.S. Air Force said the exact cause of the emergency landing is still under investigation.

Witnesses at the airport told Saipan Tribune that they suddenly heard a loud noise on the runway, “like something heavy had fallen.” Later, ARFF personnel and ports police were seen rushing to the scene.

Because of the incident, the main runway was immediately shut down.

The 7/25 runway has been undergoing rehabilitation for several months now. CPA closes the runway during construction and opens it only when international flights are expected to come in. The runway was open when the incident happened yesterday morning.
Saipan Tribune learned that two flights were cancelled yesterday.

Delta Air Lines’ Flight 298, which was supposed to arrive at 3pm, was cancelled until further notice. The flight is from Narita, Japan and carries nearly 300 passengers.

Also cancelled was Flight 603 of Asiana Airlines from South Korea. The flight was supposed to come in at 2pm yesterday with an estimated seat capacity of about 400 passengers.

These two flights are expected to resume anytime today.
As of yesterday noon, sources said the runway is estimated to be reopened after midnight when all necessary work is completed.
Sources also disclosed that based on initial assessment, “hydraulic issues” caused the emergency landing of the jet fighter.

Saipan Tribune saw the arrival yesterday of some U.S. Air Force personnel who will presumably conduct the initial assessment.
Meantime, another team was expected to arrive on Saipan around 8pm last night to bring the needed equipment and parts to repair the aircraft.

As of 3pm yesterday, CPA personnel, including executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero, were still at the emergency management office of the ARFF department, monitoring the situation.