An F-22 was forced to make a belly landing during a training sortie on May 31 at Tyndall AFB, Fla., due to the student pilot’s failure to advance the aircraft’s engines to military power before he initiated landing gear retraction, Air Education and Training Command officials announced Thursday. The incident occurred during a touch-and-go landing at the northwest Florida base, which is home to the Air Force’s F-22 schoolhouse. “Without sufficient thrust, the aircraft settled back to the runway, landing on its underside,” skidding along the runway to a stop, states the AETC release, dated Nov. 14, that cites the findings of the command’s accident investigation board. The pilot, assigned to Tyndall’s 43rd Fighter Squadron, “was able to safely exit the aircraft, suffering only minor injuries,” states the release. However, the Raptor suffered damage that will take an estimated $35 million to repair. A Tyndall spokesman previously told the Daily Report that the student pilot was on only his second solo F-22 flight when the mishap occurred.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
