A U.S. surveillance plane made an emergency landing in Russia Wednesday due to a problem with the landing gear, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed late Thursday.
The plane had departed from a Russian airfield in Ulan Ude for an observation flight. Shortly after taking off, the crew realized the landing gear would not fully retract and were forced to land.
“The crew, in cooperation with the Russian escort crew on-board, terminated the treaty observation mission and diverted to Khabarovsk to drop off the escort crew and to exit Russia using the most direct route possible to facilitate inspection and repair at a U.S. base in Japan,” Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michele Baldanza told Defense News. “Khabarovsk is a frequently utilized Open Skies Airfield, designated by Russia for treaty purposes, but it is not normally a ‘point of exit’ for treaty missions.”
The Boeing-made OC-135B left Khabarovsk, located in southeastern Russia, and is in transit to Kadena Air Base in Japan for maintenance work before making a final trip back to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
U.S., Russia and 32 others countries signed the 2002 Open Skies Treaty in 2002, giving one another permission to fly unarmed surveillance flights in other nations to ensure all adhere to arms-control treaties.
