F-35B off the runway at NASFT Worth JRB

Sooner787 · Thu Dec 15, 2022 6:19 pm

Local news calling it plane crash, but jet is intact and off runway in the grass.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local ... 8af02f75e0

Dutchy · Thu Dec 15, 2022 7:04 pm

for all Europeans who can't look at that link: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pilot ... e/3149776/

The pilot did eject, so a small crash ;-)

But hey, it will buff out.

aumaverick · Thu Dec 15, 2022 7:43 pm

Oh, I hope this wasn't another instance like the OK F-16 incident. I know the safety of the pilot is paramount, but when the aircraft comes down in one piece near the runway, it leads to a lot of questions why the pilot couldn't also come down in one piece with the aircraft.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/12/02/fighter-pilot-who-tailed-a-civilian-plane-blamed-for-destroying-f-16/

TangoandCash · Thu Dec 15, 2022 9:13 pm

The video is almost like watching a crash in slow motion. My uneducated guess is something related to the lift fan (mechanical, engine, software, who knows), resulting in the bounce and nose landing. Why the pilot or computer didn't cut the power at that point I have no idea, maybe it was related to the reason for the bounce.

Ejection does seem to come very late in the sequence, but I wasn't along for the ride.

GalaxyFlyer · Thu Dec 15, 2022 9:16 pm

Here’s a video via Twitter,

https://twitter.com/tendar/status/16034 ... S3BJQrmDSw

GalaxyFlyer · Thu Dec 15, 2022 9:19 pm

TangoandCash wrote:
The video is almost like watching a crash in slow motion. My uneducated guess is something related to the lift fan (mechanical, engine, software, who knows), resulting in the bounce and nose landing. Why the pilot or computer didn't cut the power at that point I have no idea, maybe it was related to the reason for the bounce.

Ejection does seem to come very late in the sequence, but I wasn't along for the ride.

Just a guess from an ejection seat survivor, he waited until somewhat upright. Some of the attitudes were likely out of the envelope until it settled back on the main mounts.

The drop from about 100’ looks fast like it was settling under power and the sink couldn’t be arrested. Impact was probably pretty firm judging from sink rate and bounce. Once the nose mount failed, the attitudes got pretty steep, I’m guessing an experienced Lockheed pilot who knows the seat envelope pretty well.

aumaverick · Thu Dec 15, 2022 10:00 pm

aumaverick wrote:
Oh, I hope this wasn't another instance like the OK F-16 incident. I know the safety of the pilot is paramount, but when the aircraft comes down in one piece near the runway, it leads to a lot of questions why the pilot couldn't also come down in one piece with the aircraft.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/12/02/fighter-pilot-who-tailed-a-civilian-plane-blamed-for-destroying-f-16/

Now that I've seen the video...YIKES. I didn't realize this was a F-35B and a STOVL type landing. I knew I might regret speculating.

Avatar2go · Thu Dec 15, 2022 10:13 pm

TangoandCash wrote:
The video is almost like watching a crash in slow motion. My uneducated guess is something related to the lift fan (mechanical, engine, software, who knows), resulting in the bounce and nose landing. Why the pilot or computer didn't cut the power at that point I have no idea, maybe it was related to the reason for the bounce.

Ejection does seem to come very late in the sequence, but I wasn't along for the ride.

Totally agree. I think the ejection may have ocurred because the nozzle began to rotate upwards with the throttle still advanced, which caused the jet to begin accelerating forward on the ground. Although it stopped after the ejection, so possibly it was just turbine lag. But it might be uncertain to the pilot if the throttle was responding or not.

Planeflyer · Thu Dec 15, 2022 11:04 pm

Saner heads prevailed. Good to see.

casinterest · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:01 am

GalaxyFlyer wrote:
TangoandCash wrote:
The video is almost like watching a crash in slow motion. My uneducated guess is something related to the lift fan (mechanical, engine, software, who knows), resulting in the bounce and nose landing. Why the pilot or computer didn't cut the power at that point I have no idea, maybe it was related to the reason for the bounce.

Ejection does seem to come very late in the sequence, but I wasn't along for the ride.

Just a guess from an ejection seat survivor, he waited until somewhat upright. Some of the attitudes were likely out of the envelope until it settled back on the main mounts.

The drop from about 100’ looks fast like it was settling under power and the sink couldn’t be arrested. Impact was probably pretty firm judging from sink rate and bounce. Once the nose mount failed, the attitudes got pretty steep, I’m guessing an experienced Lockheed pilot who knows the seat envelope pretty well.

That ejection landing looked rather hard. Hope the pilot didn't suffer any major injuries.
Will be interesting to see the report on this one.

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:42 am

Fully inflated chute, about normal sink rate, depending on what he landed on, probably nothing worse than sprains or bruises. The ride will leave the pilot feeling like he did a couple of rounds with a boxer—Gs, wind blast, etc. Probably measure a half-inch shorter. A friend on mine got out of a -38 in excess of 400 KIAS, landed on a windy Texas hillside and dragged for a hundred yards or so—tore up both legs pretty bad—lots of metal to fix it all.

Another ex-Navy A-7 pilot got out of 3 different A-7s, his medical records were moved around in a hand truck like a stack of beer. Two were around the ship, the third time spent an overnight in the IO.

Vintage · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:49 am

It almost looks like the shock of the ejection finally caused the engine to shut down.

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 16, 2022 3:08 am

Vintage wrote:
It almost looks like the shock of the ejection finally caused the engine to shut down.

Hard pressed to imagine any connection, but I do see it looks that way.

Not exactly sure who investigates this one. The plane is owned by LM, on a military base leased to LM, so no civilian board. The military doesn’t have possession yet, so maybe not the Navy. Could be an internal proprietary report.

Max Q · Fri Dec 16, 2022 7:01 am

The descent rate prior to initial touchdown didn’t look that high to me, looked like a normal touchdown, it all seemed to go wrong after that bounce

Perhaps the engine automatically shuts down when the pilot ejects ?

Not much point in it running after that..

Heinkel · Fri Dec 16, 2022 11:40 am

Max Q wrote:
The descent rate prior to initial touchdown didn’t look that high to me, looked like a normal touchdown, it all seemed to go wrong after that bounce

Perhaps the engine automatically shuts down when the pilot ejects ?

Not much point in it running after that..

On every modern car, when a crash is detected and the airbags are triggered, the ignition is automatically switched off and the main power cable to the battery is cut off by a small pyrotechnic device. In addition, the brake system becomes pressurized.

Should be the same on an a/c with ejection seats. When the ejection seat(s) are triggered, everything else should be switched off automatically.

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:34 pm

I’ve looked at the video a dozen times, the sink rate seems to increase about half way thru the descent. A lot power settling where a helicopter is entrained the the flow off the rotor, circulating off the ground and re-entering the rotor, sort of like a ceiling fan.

Seats never shutdown the engines in prior designs, but can’t say about the F-35. Problem being you introducing a new failure mode where the seat system shuts down the engine in a otherwise flyable plane. There’s been ample cases of the plane flying away after an ejection.

Strebav8or · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:39 pm

Every landing is a crash....some are just way more gentle than the others.

bpatus297 · Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:49 pm

Heinkel wrote:
Max Q wrote:
The descent rate prior to initial touchdown didn’t look that high to me, looked like a normal touchdown, it all seemed to go wrong after that bounce

Perhaps the engine automatically shuts down when the pilot ejects ?

Not much point in it running after that..

On every modern car, when a crash is detected and the airbags are triggered, the ignition is automatically switched off and the main power cable to the battery is cut off by a small pyrotechnic device. In addition, the brake system becomes pressurized.

Should be the same on an a/c with ejection seats. When the ejection seat(s) are triggered, everything else should be switched off automatically.

I don't know how accurate your statement is. First, I have never seen a pyrotechnic device on a car. Second, how can the brake system pressurize with out either a mechanical or electrical power source? I have dealt with my share of vehicle accidents have never seen this. Is this just EV's? Admittedly, I have zero information on their workings.

RetiredWeasel · Fri Dec 16, 2022 3:00 pm

There is a lot of information (or mis-information) being posted on the internet and other forums. Until somebody is identified as a no-sh#t F-35B pilot, then I take the observations with a grain of salt. Everything from an auto-eject feature to a throttle interlock that prevents reducing power to idle until wheels are on the ground has been posted.

Personally, my speculation, is that after the initial touchdown, the bounce was exaggerated because there was still a significant amount of vertical thrust being applied. Don't know why the throttle wasn't just brought to idle. Then a possible lift fan failure causing the tail to pitch up. But I've got no VTOL experience or Helo time to be an authority.

WKTaylor · Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:40 pm

my 2-cents... which I posted on another forum...

The ejection went by the book. Pilot might be bruised and have back/leg problems but they are alive... might even fly again! This is not a video than can ever be forgotten. Lucky that the landing was being recorded [with clarity]... although the HUD/air-data-computer/recordings WILL have highly valuable video and systems-data related to the circumstances.

It is far better to eject, than to be trapped up-side-down in the cockpit of jet with a hot-still-running engine and jet-fuel! This decision might be one of the hardest this Marine has ever made. The decision to eject came awfully late in the sequence... typical of most fighter pilots who want to 'succeed' at all costs. They MAY have delayed in-order to initiate 'fuel-cutoff' to shut-down the engine, before... finally... 'pulling the handles' while tipping-over. There are also all-too-similar videos for AV-8 Harriers.

HOWEVER... NO DOUBT... the pilot will be able to talk with the mishap board... not be a body on an autopsy table.

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:57 pm

I saw elsewhere, Martin-Baker does activate the “auto eject on STOVL model only”. Looking at the video, until touchdown there was no attitude excursion that should activate auto ejection—pretty much upright and level until the pitch excursion followed by nose mount failure. I’d guess auto eject is NOT armed on the ground.

ddye123 · Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:08 pm

Looks to me like the center lift fan shutdown upon landing while the rear nozzle kept working causing the aircraft to pivot around on it's nose

RetiredWeasel · Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:25 pm

GalaxyFlyer wrote:
I saw elsewhere, Martin-Baker does activate the “auto eject on STOVL model only”. Looking at the video, until touchdown there was no attitude excursion that should activate auto ejection—pretty much upright and level until the pitch excursion followed by nose mount failure. I’d guess auto eject is NOT armed on the ground.

I'm just wondering if that 'auto eject' feature is optional or can the pilot switch it off? I don't know if any other US fighter that has a feature like that and getting ejected when you're not ready for it, is asking for back or neck injuries. But then again, probably better than buying the farm.

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:04 pm

I don’t know and I tried to find out. I’d be pretty leery of it, for sure. I suspect it’s actioned by being airborne, roll/pitch approaching the envelope limits at low altitude, perhaps requiring aircraft to be configured for landing or launch where time is of the essence. Does take your pilot authority.

Remember the massive gaggle of Phantoms out of Hollomon, IIRC, who were meet north of Jever by Luftwaffe Phantoms and the whole 16+ ship formation penetrated weather on the descent—at least one mid-air ensued. In one plane the back seat initiated the ejection without telling the pilot. Both survived but the NAV was severely chastised for acting as PIC.

RetiredWeasel · Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:25 pm

GalaxyFlyer wrote:
Remember the massive gaggle of Phantoms out of Hollomon, IIRC, who were meet north of Jever by Luftwaffe Phantoms and the whole 16+ ship formation penetrated weather on the descent—at least one mid-air ensued. In one plane the back seat initiated the ejection without telling the pilot. Both survived but the NAV was severely chastised for acting as PIC.

Most Phantom pilots briefed the command selector valve be positioned to single rather than a dual sequenced ejection even before that accident. But the valve was in the back seat...trust had to be mutual..

889091 · Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:59 pm

In the Twitter video, I did not see the canopy pop - did he eject through the canopy?

superbizzy73 · Sat Dec 17, 2022 9:57 pm

Anyone notice the smoke/steam coming from the exhaust as it's decending? Is that normal? Also, what could cause it to pivot like it did at the end? Seems some funny business going on with the lift fan (just my non-expert opinion).

Vintage · Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:10 am

superbizzy73 wrote:
what could cause it to pivot like it did at the end? Seems some funny business going on with the lift fan (just my non-expert opinion).

Post # 23 covered that topic.

GalaxyFlyer · Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:21 am

889091 wrote:
In the Twitter video, I did not see the canopy pop - did he eject through the canopy?

Thru the canopy after the canopy is fractured by fracturing cord.

superbizzy73 · Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:29 am

Vintage wrote:
superbizzy73 wrote:
what could cause it to pivot like it did at the end? Seems some funny business going on with the lift fan (just my non-expert opinion).
Post # 23 covered that topic.

...when it pivots back to the right just before the pilot ejects? Seems counterintuitive for it to be the thrust of the engine.

(Wait...I'm done. Just realized something...)

Heinkel · Tue Dec 20, 2022 7:00 pm

bpatus297 wrote:
Heinkel wrote:
Max Q wrote:
The descent rate prior to initial touchdown didn’t look that high to me, looked like a normal touchdown, it all seemed to go wrong after that bounce

Perhaps the engine automatically shuts down when the pilot ejects ?

Not much point in it running after that..

On every modern car, when a crash is detected and the airbags are triggered, the ignition is automatically switched off and the main power cable to the battery is cut off by a small pyrotechnic device. In addition, the brake system becomes pressurized.

Should be the same on an a/c with ejection seats. When the ejection seat(s) are triggered, everything else should be switched off automatically.

I don't know how accurate your statement is. First, I have never seen a pyrotechnic device on a car. Second, how can the brake system pressurize with out either a mechanical or electrical power source? I have dealt with my share of vehicle accidents have never seen this. Is this just EV's? Admittedly, I have zero information on their workings.

There are lots of pyrotecnic devices in modern cars. Several airbags for example. Plus the electric cut-off switch.

The brake system pressure after a crash is provided by a hydraulic pressure accumulator. The system is called PCB = Post Crash Braking.

https://www.continental-automotive.com/en-gl/Passenger-Cars/Safety/Functions/Integrated-Safety/Post-Crash-Braking

art · Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:53 pm

Looked to me like the aircraft misbehaving rather than the pilot. There would need to be a big control input to stand the thing on its nose and to put enough pressure on the nose wheel to snap it off, wouldn't there? Seems unlikely to me that an experienced pilot would do something so extreme.

GalaxyFlyer · Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:23 pm

Anyone interested in informed detail, check this link.

https://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=58979

889091 · Tue Dec 20, 2022 11:15 pm

GalaxyFlyer wrote:
Anyone interested in informed detail, check this link.

https://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=58979

Link delves a bit into the MB auto-eject capability of the B variant. I wouldn't want it to malfunction right in the middle of using the piddle bag.... :shock:

bpatus297 · Thu Dec 22, 2022 5:37 pm

Heinkel wrote:
bpatus297 wrote:
Heinkel wrote:

On every modern car, when a crash is detected and the airbags are triggered, the ignition is automatically switched off and the main power cable to the battery is cut off by a small pyrotechnic device. In addition, the brake system becomes pressurized.

Should be the same on an a/c with ejection seats. When the ejection seat(s) are triggered, everything else should be switched off automatically.

I don't know how accurate your statement is. First, I have never seen a pyrotechnic device on a car. Second, how can the brake system pressurize with out either a mechanical or electrical power source? I have dealt with my share of vehicle accidents have never seen this. Is this just EV's? Admittedly, I have zero information on their workings.

There are lots of pyrotecnic devices in modern cars. Several airbags for example. Plus the electric cut-off switch.

The brake system pressure after a crash is provided by a hydraulic pressure accumulator. The system is called PCB = Post Crash Braking.

https://www.continental-automotive.com/en-gl/Passenger-Cars/Safety/Functions/Integrated-Safety/Post-Crash-Braking

The Pyro fuses you are talking about are in EVs, not "every modern car", and air bags are inflated with nitrogen gas from a chemical reaction, not pyro.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driv ... irbag1.htm

I didn't know about PCB or AEB. It looks like it is really new, but comes standard all about 99% of.new vehicles sold.

teampokey · Fri Dec 23, 2022 9:30 am

bpatus297 wrote:
The Pyro fuses you are talking about are in EVs, not "every modern car"

Low-voltage pyro fuses appear in some non-EV cars—I found Audi and Mercedes models—although "every modern car" might be an overstatement.

and air bags are inflated with nitrogen gas from a chemical reaction, not pyro.

Airbags often use a pyrotechnic ignitor or a pyrotechnic valve, even if you don't consider a particular gas-generating reaction to be a pyrotechnic one.

bpatus297 · Sat Dec 24, 2022 1:53 am

teampokey wrote:
bpatus297 wrote:
The Pyro fuses you are talking about are in EVs, not "every modern car"

Low-voltage pyro fuses appear in some non-EV cars—I found Audi and Mercedes models—although "every modern car" might be an overstatement.

and air bags are inflated with nitrogen gas from a chemical reaction, not pyro.

Airbags often use a pyrotechnic ignitor or a pyrotechnic valve, even if you don't consider a particular gas-generating reaction to be a pyrotechnic one.

When you say pyrotechnic I think an explosion (no matter how small). Most airbags use a chemical reaction to create nitrogen gas. Yes, I know.an explosion is a chemical reaction, but you know.what I mean.

Heinkel · Sat Dec 24, 2022 3:05 pm

bpatus297 wrote:
Heinkel wrote:
bpatus297 wrote:

I don't know how accurate your statement is. First, I have never seen a pyrotechnic device on a car. Second, how can the brake system pressurize with out either a mechanical or electrical power source? I have dealt with my share of vehicle accidents have never seen this. Is this just EV's? Admittedly, I have zero information on their workings.

There are lots of pyrotecnic devices in modern cars. Several airbags for example. Plus the electric cut-off switch.

The brake system pressure after a crash is provided by a hydraulic pressure accumulator. The system is called PCB = Post Crash Braking.

https://www.continental-automotive.com/en-gl/Passenger-Cars/Safety/Functions/Integrated-Safety/Post-Crash-Braking

The Pyro fuses you are talking about are in EVs, not "every modern car", and air bags are inflated with nitrogen gas from a chemical reaction, not pyro.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driv ... irbag1.htm

I didn't know about PCB or AEB. It looks like it is really new, but comes standard all about 99% of.new vehicles sold.

I can tell you, that such a pyro fuse is used in my eight year old BMW 5-series car with a conventional Diesel engine. It cuts off the 12 V battery in case of an accident.

So nothing really new and definitely not restricted to battery electric vehicles (BEV).

At least under German laws and regulations, airbags for cars are pyrotechnical devices. Situation in the US may vary.

meecrob · Sun Dec 25, 2022 4:52 pm

bpatus297 wrote:
teampokey wrote:
bpatus297 wrote:
The Pyro fuses you are talking about are in EVs, not "every modern car"

Low-voltage pyro fuses appear in some non-EV cars—I found Audi and Mercedes models—although "every modern car" might be an overstatement.

and air bags are inflated with nitrogen gas from a chemical reaction, not pyro.

Airbags often use a pyrotechnic ignitor or a pyrotechnic valve, even if you don't consider a particular gas-generating reaction to be a pyrotechnic one.

When you say pyrotechnic I think an explosion (no matter how small). Most airbags use a chemical reaction to create nitrogen gas. Yes, I know.an explosion is a chemical reaction, but you know.what I mean.

Haha, I was waiting for someone to explain that its technically also a chemical reaction. I don't have the research, but it would be interesting to see what the manufacturers consider their "release of energy for safety." More specifically, how fast they operate...because I doubt its supersonic. Which is typically when something is an "explosion" vs a fast release of energy.

Back on topic, I watched a documentary on the A-10 back in the 90's and they claimed it had an auto eject capability. Even then, I thought it sounded suspect...Especially with an airframe that is famous for having half of it missing and still making it home. I get why auto-eject would come up in some engineers mind, but it seems like a capability you would turn on say when your RWR tells you people are shooting at you...not a feature that is on 24/7.

GalaxyFlyer · Sun Dec 25, 2022 5:45 pm

The A-10 never had auto-ejection. The F-35B has it in the event the forward fan fails as the pitch would go inverted in 0.6”, so only an automatic ejection could react fast enough. The automatic ejection is only armed in hover mode.

art · Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:38 pm

A source familiar with the program, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the incident, said the initial assessment of the investigation, which is being conducted by the Naval Air Systems Command with the support of the JPO, found that a propulsion system issue led to the Dec. 15 crash of the hovering F-35B, which has now led to broader groundings in the fleet.

The source said that, in guidance to the services, the JPO said a failure of a tube used to transfer high-pressure fuel in the fighter’s F135 engine prompted the office to update its safety risk assessments.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/12 ... as-runway/

GalaxyFlyer · Fri Dec 30, 2022 7:20 pm

Always like these “a source familiar with the program, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because…”. Then shut up.

889091 · Fri Dec 30, 2022 10:43 pm

Think we can rule out the lift fan (for now, at least). From the link that art provided:

Though the JPO would not say exactly how many F-35s were grounded, it confirmed the grounded jets include all three variants. Some of those grounded F-35s are American fighters.

Dutchy · Sat Dec 31, 2022 12:11 am

889091 wrote:
Think we can rule out the lift fan (for now, at least). From the link that art provided:

Though the JPO would not say exactly how many F-35s were grounded, it confirmed the grounded jets include all three variants. Some of those grounded F-35s are American fighters.

This F-35B wasn't delivered yet, right? So we might conduct that it is the latest batch of F-35's would be affected, or better their engines?

superbizzy73 · Sat Dec 31, 2022 10:45 pm

Has there been an implemented PIP on the engines or engine controls lately? Just running on a tangent...

Mikenike · Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:11 pm

Dutchy wrote:
889091 wrote:
Think we can rule out the lift fan (for now, at least). From the link that art provided:

Though the JPO would not say exactly how many F-35s were grounded, it confirmed the grounded jets include all three variants. Some of those grounded F-35s are American fighters.

This F-35B wasn't delivered yet, right? So we might conduct that it is the latest batch of F-35's would be affected, or better their engines?

1. From reports the linkage between the fan and the main engine had a failure causing a loss of thrust, which explains the sudden extreme forward pitch in a consistent manner. As for why the jet didn't recognise the issue and attempt to fix, who knows.

2. This Airframe had not yet been delivered to the customer yet, and many of the newest batches of F-35B's have been grounded for maintenence checks and fixes.

TangoandCash wrote:
Ejection does seem to come very late in the sequence, but I wasn't along for the ride

3. My guess is he waited til it went upright to ensure best chance of not having the jet not crush him or have any likelyhood of causing issues in it. It also puts him in the best situation to eject because of its design, had he ejected instantly the chute may not have had ample time and altitude to open and slow him a little.

Avatar2go · Mon Jan 09, 2023 9:18 pm

Mikenike wrote:
1. From reports the linkage between the fan and the main engine had a failure causing a loss of thrust, which explains the sudden extreme forward pitch in a consistent manner. As for why the jet didn't recognise the issue and attempt to fix, who knows.

That's really interesting. Do you have source for the linkage issue?

Mikenike · Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:38 pm

That's really interesting. Do you have source for the linkage issue?[/quote]

I remember reading an initial report from a reliable source, but I can't seem to find the report online anywhere. With that being said, I distinctly remember reading it and it clearly detailed the incident and the initially believed cause they outlined was a failure in the linkage. I remember it saying it had a smaller failure in a supporting system that caused the failure, but I can't remember the exact thing that was the catalyst for the linkage failure.

This report could have been pure speculation based on the information availible, and they could have already disproven the report (and by extent my) claims that it was a linkage issue. Whatever the reason the facts are clear, the fan went idle/shut down for some unknown reason to the public at this time, the resulting unplanned descent caused a hard bounce followed by a downward pitching of the nose, causing a hard impact on the nose gear, ensued by a hard landing where the jet spun, and when it finally righted itself, followed by an immediate firing of the pilot's ejection seat, resulting in a successful ejection and a full chute before the pilot hit the deck. Thankfully he isn't too badly injured (ICU Level hurt) or killed by this, and hopefully LM and F-35B operators can develop an emergency procedure for this type of incident.

Avatar2go · Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:56 pm

Mikenike wrote:

I remember reading an initial report from a reliable source, but I can't seem to find the report online anywhere. With that being said, I distinctly remember reading it and it clearly detailed the incident and the initially believed cause they outlined was a failure in the linkage. I remember it saying it had a smaller failure in a supporting system that caused the failure, but I can't remember the exact thing that was the catalyst for the linkage failure.

This report could have been pure speculation based on the information availible, and they could have already disproven the report (and by extent my) claims that it was a linkage issue. Whatever the reason the facts are clear, the fan went idle/shut down for some unknown reason to the public at this time, the resulting unplanned descent caused a hard bounce followed by a downward pitching of the nose, causing a hard impact on the nose gear, ensued by a hard landing where the jet spun, and when it finally righted itself, followed by an immediate firing of the pilot's ejection seat, resulting in a successful ejection and a full chute before the pilot hit the deck. Thankfully he isn't too badly injured (ICU Level hurt) or killed by this, and hopefully LM and F-35B operators can develop an emergency procedure for this type of incident.

Ok, thanks. It will be interesting to read the official report, when and if it's released. We know at a minimum there was a fuel tube involved somehow.

Avatar2go · Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:18 pm

News about the source of the engine fuel tube issue that caused the F-35B crash during hover & landing. There was a harmonic resonance issue in the engine that caused the fracture. It was not a part quality issue. The risk occurs only in isolated circumstances.

P&W has developed a remediation that will be integrated into all new engines, allowing production and testing to resume.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/02 ... eliveries/

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