On December 15, an F-35B suffered a nose dive and swirled after briefly touching down on the shared runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth.
The incident occurred on December 15, which also marks the maiden flight of the F-35A, which took place on that same date in 2006.
The specific cause of the mishap is still unknown; however, a video showing the F-35B hovering as it starts to tumble vertically has surfaced online.
The jet makes its initial touchdown, then bounces back into the air before making a hard nose-first down on the runway. The nose gear can be seen completely collapsing before the pilot ejects and the jet rolls onto the ground.
The incident also demonstrated the Martin-Baker US16E ejection seat’s so-called “zero-zero” capabilities, as it could operate even with the aircraft practically on the ground safely.
#Breaking New much clearer video, courtesy Kitt Wilder, of STOL variant F35 B model landing JRB Fort Worth, and pilot ejects. Condition of pilot still unknown. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/BeERIeyhtO
— Doug Dunbar (@cbs11doug) December 15, 2022
A Pentagon spokesperson stated that a US government pilot was operating the aircraft at the time of the incident. However, the aircraft had not yet been passed to the military by its maker, Lockheed Martin.
According to a statement released by a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, they were aware of the incident but believed the pilot was safe. “Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol,” it added.
source eurasiantimes.com
