US EditionF-35 Pilot Held 50-Minute Airborne Call with Engineers Before Fighter Jet Crashed in Alaska
Hydraulic system icing caused false ground sensor readings and landing gear failure, leading to loss of control and pilot ejection; the $200 million F-35 was destroyed, Air Force said.
- A U.S. Air Force F-35 pilot spent 50 minutes on an airborne conference call with Lockheed Martin engineers before ejecting safely and losing the $200 million jet in Alaska earlier this year.
- The Air Force investigation found ice in hydraulic lines of the nose and main landing gears prevented proper deployment, triggering sensors to activate automated ground-operation mode and causing loss of control.
- After following checklists, the pilot got on a conference call with Lockheed Martin and five engineers, and the aircraft wreckage inspection found about one-third of hydraulic fluid in the landing gears was water.
- The Air Force's Accident Investigation Board found crew decision-making, oversight gaps, and improper servicing contributed, noting the 2024 maintenance newsletter likely would have advised a safer landing; investigators found a similar issue on another F-35 at the same base nine days later.
- Lockheed Martin had issued April 2024 maintenance newsletter guidance about F-35 sensor problems in extreme cold, warning control difficulty; CNN reached out for comment on the Air Force report.
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22 Articles
22 Articles
A U.S. Air Force survey has established the reason for an F-35 aircraft crash at $200 million in Alaska. The catch of ice in the landing train has failed to believe it's already on the ground. The device has crashed and...
·Romania
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In January, a cover jet of the US Air Force crashes. Before the crash, the pilot tried several times to extend the icy landing gear. However, help from the ground could not solve the problem.
·Germany
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An F-35 fighter jet of the US Air Force crashed in January. Now it's clear that this was preceded by a 50-minute telephone conference between pilot and engineers.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources22
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution83% Center
Bias Distribution
- 83% of the sources are Center
83% Center
11%
C 83%
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