We got a rare look at the F-22A Raptor which was repaired after being involved in a landing mishap a few years ago.
On Feb. 21, 2025, an F-22A Raptor using radio callsign COACH 1, arrived at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth for a fuel stop. What immediately stood out about the aircraft, registration 01-4023, tail code “TY”, assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, was the unusual “patchwork” appearance of the jet, with several panels and sections showing discoloration, primer coatings, and bright yellow outlines, consistent with structural repair.
Indeed, the forward fuselage and lower airframe appear to have been reworked. Some areas show non-uniform surface textures, indicating possible composite or metal skin replacements. In particular, the yellow panel borders are parts of the airframes where Low Observable coatings have not been applied after repairs.
It turns out that F-22 01-4023 has indeed undergone extensive repairs to its nose section and other areas following a landing mishap. Based on the information we gathered, the flight on Feb. 21, 2025, was only the aircraft’s fifth flight in four years. The day before, on Feb. 20, the Raptor flew a check flight, and after a fuel stop at NAS JRB Fort Worth, it continued to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for depot-level maintenance.
During Planned Depot Maintenance (PDM), the aircraft will undergo an extensive inspection, repairs, and possible upgrades. Radar-absorbing coatings (LO) will also be reapplied. At Hill AFB, the Raptor should also receive a new paint scheme and updated markings.
This F-22 is one of two Raptors that have experienced nose landing gear issues at Eglin Air Force Base in recent years.
On Mar. 15, 2021, an F-22 Raptor assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing experienced a ground mishap on the flightline at Eglin AFB, Florida. The aircraft declared an in-flight emergency and landed safely, but its nose gear collapsed on the runway, the base later confirmed.
A year later, in March 2022, an image surfaced online showing an F-22 with its nose cone buried in the ground at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, following another apparent landing gear mishap. A statement from the 96th Test Wing at Eglin confirmed that the incident occurred during landing.
While we haven’t been able to verify it, according to multiple sources, the F-22A 01-4023 was the aircraft involved in the March 2021 landing mishap.
By the way, some notable F-22 landing issues occurred recently: in April 2024, an F-22 suffered a nose gear collapse at Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan; in May 2024, a Raptor had an apparent main landing gear collapse during Sentry Savannah exercise at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
Issues with landing gear are more common than one might think and are not limited to the F-22.
The F-35 Lighting II aircraft has also a history of nose gear troubles. On Jan. 26, 2024, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, suffered a nose landing gear collapse while parked shortly after a training mission at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.
The photos, we exclusively published, showed the mishap F-35C, CF-89/170109, coded “WL-04”, and parked under a sunshade sitting on its Electro-Optical Targeting System’s glass fairing: according to the unverified report we were submitted, after shutting down the aircraft without problems, the pilot started climbing down the ladder when the nose landing gear began retracting slowly.
Previously, on Dec. 1, 2022, an F-35B Lightning II, belonging to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 ‘Green Knights’, was involved in an incident on the ground at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan: after making a precautionary landing at the base due to possible electrical problems the aircraft was being towed when the nose wheel broke, leaving the 5th generation aircraft with its nose on the taxiway.
The incident with the F-35B at Kadena in 2022 was strikingly similar to another one, that occurred to a USAF F-35A in 2018. In that event, an F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, experienced an in-flight emergency and returned to base. The aircraft landed safely and parked when the front nose gear collapsed.
Another gear collapse incident occurred to another F-35A on the runway after landing at Hill AFB on Jun. 8, 2020.
Thank you to Gherardo and Victoria Fontana for providing the photos and additional details about the F-22 at NAS JRB Fort Worth on Feb. 21, 2025!
