F-22 Pilot Receives Top Safety Award for Belly Landing
USAF Captain Michael Cloninger earned the Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy for safely belly-landing an F-22 Raptor in the Middle East after a wheel assembly detached on takeoff, saving the $156 million aircraft.
The US Air Force has awarded its highest flight safety honor to an F-22 Raptor pilot who successfully executed a belly landing after a main wheel assembly separated from the stealth fighter during takeoff. Captain Michael Cloninger of the 90th Fighter Squadron received the 2025 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy from Chief of Staff General Ken Wilsbach in a Pentagon ceremony on September 8, 2026.
General Wilsbach presented the service's most prestigious safety award, named for First Lieutenant Koren Kolligian Jr., a pilot lost in 1955. The trophy recognizes exceptional airmanship in emergencies where aircrew avert accidents or limit damage.
Wheel Detaches After Takeoff
The incident occurred on September 18, 2024, while Captain Cloninger was deployed in the US Central Command area. He was flying as the second jet in a four-ship formation for a Battle of Britain memorial flyover. Immediately after takeoff, the F-22's entire right main wheel assembly departed the aircraft.
The flight aborted its mission and stayed near the airfield. Cloninger took over navigation and communications. He slowed the jet below gear speed and lowered the landing gear so his flight lead could confirm the wheel assembly was missing.
Executing an Uncharted Emergency
No written procedure existed for this specific failure. Cloninger selected the gear-up landing checklist, ruling out an asymmetric touchdown on one wheel and one bare strut.
He flew for approximately one hour to burn fuel while coordinating with air traffic control, crash responders, and operations supervisors. He then made a low approach using an emergency alternate flap setting. Cloninger flew a shallow, on-speed approach and achieved a centerline touchdown.
The service stated this touchdown prevented a post-landing fire. The pilot shut down both engines and performed an emergency egress. General Wilsbach said Cloninger faced an invisible failure with no aircraft warning while carrying a full combat load, and "flew the aircraft all the way through the emergency."
Cloninger credited his wingmen and ground personnel for their help with communications and checklists, saying he would not have been at the ceremony without them.
Salvaging a Priceless Airframe
The aircraft was later flown out of the theater after diagnostics. The Air Force described this as an unprecedented recovery for a belly-landed F-22 and valued the saved airframe at $156 million. An official accident investigation board report has not been published.
The F-22 fleet is irreplaceable, with production having ended in 2011. As of January 2025, 178 F-22s were in service when Lockheed Martin received a contract to fit new infrared defensive sensors. Landing gear issues have occurred before, including a tire blowout during takeoff at Kadena Air Base, Japan, in October 2024.
The USAF release did not identify the specific deployment location or base. The 90th Fighter Squadron is based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, from where about a dozen F-22s deployed to the US Central Command area in August 2024.
