C-5A Lands Nose Gear Up at Rhein Main Air Base

Facebook / Rhein Main Air Base Germany

Unbelievably Clean Landing

On August 15, 1986, this US Air Force C-5A Galaxy cargo plane was on its way to Mildenhall Air Base, England when the crew discovered a malfunction in the nose landing gear. The team, which took off from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, diverted their flight to the Rhein-Main Base near Frankfurt, Germany.

At the base, the C-5A was forced to land with its nose gear up while emergency responders on the ground watched in anticipation. 

Fortunately, the C-5A Galaxy’s pilots were able to pull off the nose-gear-up landing with all 20 of its passengers and 18 crew members suffering no injuries from the incident. The cargo plane was then towed for maintenance and inspection, while the airport was shut for at least a couple of hours.