THE fleet of 26 F-111 aircraft has been temporarily grounded following an emergency landing by one of the RAAF fighters in Queensland today. Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the grounding was necessary to ensure there was nothing structurally wrong with the planes. Air Marshall Geoff Shepherd said the left-wing wheel of the fighter fell off shortly after take off, an event that had never occurred in the 30-year flying history of the planes. Dr Nelson paid tribute to the pilot, support crew and civilian emergency personnel for the way they handled the incident, which occurred at RAAF Amberley air base...
