VFA-106 F/A-18F Damaged While Getting Refueled by another Gladiators’ Super Hornet

VFA-106 F/A-18F Damaged While Getting Refueled by another Gladiators Super Hornet

By Dario Leone
Feb 6 2020
Share this article

The F/A-18F sucked debris into both of its engines during the mishap which took place on Jan. 27, 2020, causing at least $2.5 million in damage to the aircraft, according to the Navy Safety Center.

No injuries were reported in the mid-air refueling incident which involved two F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters from Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) — the Gladiators — based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.

Nevertheless, one of the F/A-18Fs sucked debris into both of its engines during the mishap which took place on Jan. 27, 2020, causing at least $2.5 million in damage to the aircraft, according to the Navy Safety Center.

One jet was receiving fuel when it ripped the fueling basket from the other aircraft and sucked debris from it into its engines, Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesperson Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg said to Navy Times.

Both the Super Hornets were able to land safely to Oceana, where their flight originated.

“The cause of the mishap is under investigation,” Cragg added.

VFA-106 F/A-18F Damaged While Getting Refueled by another Gladiators Super Hornet
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F/A-18F Super Hornet VFA-103 Jolly Rogers, AG200 / 166620 / 2007

The Naval Safety Center classified the mishap Class A. Noteworthy an incident is classified as Class A when an aircraft suffers more than $2 million in damage, is totally destroyed or involves a serious or fatal injury to the aircrew.

It’s the fourth Class A aviation reported by the safety center since the new federal fiscal year began on Oct. 1.

It also follows a similar mid-air refueling incident involving VFA-106 in mid-December.

Another Class A mid-air refueling mishap took place on Aug. 22, 2018 when an F-35C jet assigned to VFA-125 ingested debris from an aerial refueling basket while receiving fuel from an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103.

In that case the pilot recovered the aircraft back aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

F/A-18F Model
This model is available from AirModels – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS.

Photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher / U.S. Navy


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices