On the annual Open Day of the Dutch Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) at Leeuwarden Airbase, the Spanish Air Force EF-18 had a problem during it's performance.
Right after take-off, in full afterburner mode, the left main landing gear did not fold in.
The show was aborted and during a wide downwind leg, the nosewheel and the right main landing gear were lowered. In a low level flyby, the groundcrew did a visually check and confirmed that all wheels were down.
Then the pilot made a smooth landing. After landing and a thorough investigation, the problem apparently was caused by a forgotten safety-pin. By not removing this pin before take-off, the left main gear could not fold in.
One hour after the incident, the Spanish pilot took off for the second time to perform his show, this time without any problems.
Courtesy Jorvis van Boven
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