An F-35 fighter jet of the US fell and exploded after the pilot ejected from it after a 50 minute conference call with engineers, trying to resolve a critical snag. The jet was seen free falling onto an Alaska runway, and within seconds, the plane valued at $196.5 million, crashed and exploded releasing a large cloud of smoke.
The incident, which happened in January this year, took place at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks. The video footage of the incident shows the plane rotating mid-air as it crashes on the ground creating a huge explosion, reported CNN.
The pilot ejected on time suffering minor injuries, but the jet burnt down. Now, after eight months, the probe report has claimed to have found the cause of the incident.
JUST IN: F-35 fighter jet crashes at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The pilot survived pic.twitter.com/zEuPNY8jqk
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 29, 2025
Pilot talked mid-air for 50 minutes
An Air Force investigation into the crash has found that the pilot had a 50-minute-long conversation with the manufacturer of the F-35, and others to resolve the issue, but couldn’t. A report of Alaska News sources said the pilot even talked to the leadership from the 354th Fighter Wing and air traffic controllers, but to no avail.
The jet was mid-air when the pilot was having these long conversations and even tried to fix the problem with the nose landing gear through two touch-and-go landings.
What caused the freefall?
A report in CNN stated that an Air Force investigation stated the reason for the crash was ice in the hydraulic lines in the nose and main landing gears of the F-35. This, it added, prevented them from deploying properly.
The investigation report, which CNN read, the pilot tried to retract the landing gear after take off, but it didn’t happen. Then, when he lowered it again, the gear would not centre, and got locked on an angle to the left.
When the pilot tried to make attempts to fix the landing gear, it reportedly caused the fighter jet to think it was on the ground, leading to the crash. This occurred as ice formed on the F-35A Lightning II’s right and left main landing gear did not let the struts to fully extend, the report stated.