F-35 Jet Crash: US' F-35B Collides With Tanker Aircraft During Mid Air Refueling
The US Marine Corps confirmed the collision occurred during a refueling operation, during which a tanker transfers fuel to a receiver mid air, allowing it to remain airborne for a longer period of time.
eurasiantimes.com
Intense Video Shows Fiery Marine Corps F-35 Crash After Colliding with a C-130
A video circulating on social media appears to show the crash of a Marine Corps F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in California.
www.military.com
Video shows moment F-35 stealth fighter crashes into the ground
Video footage has emerged showing the moment a USMC F-35 stealth fighter jet fell out of the sky and exploded on the ground after hitting a tanker in a mid-air collision in California on Tuesday.
www.dailymail.co.uk
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notable incidents[edit]
On 23 June 2014, an F-35A's engine caught fire at Eglin Air Force Base. The pilot escaped unharmed, while the aircraft sustained an estimated US$50 million of damages.[357][358] The accident caused all flights to be halted on 3 July.[359] The fleet returned to flight on 15 July with flight envelope restrictions.[360] In June 2015, the USAF Air Education and Training Command (AETC) issued its official report, which blamed the failure on the third stage rotor of the engine's fan module, pieces of which cut through the fan case and upper fuselage. Pratt & Whitney applied an extended "rub-in" to increase the gap between the second stator and the third rotor integral arm seal, as well as design alterations to pre-trench the stator by early 2016.[357]
The first crash occurred on 28 September 2018 involving a USMC F-35B near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina; the pilot ejected safely.[361][362] The cause of the crash was attributed to a faulty fuel tube; all F-35s were grounded on 11 October pending a fleet-wide inspection of the tubes.[363] The next day, most USAF and USN F-35s returned to flight status following the inspection.[364]
On 9 April 2019, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35A attached to Misawa Air Base disappeared from radar about 84 miles (135 km) east of the Aomori Prefecture during a training mission over the Pacific Ocean. The pilot, Major Akinori Hosomi, had radioed his intention to abort the drill before disappearing.[365][366] Both US and Japanese Navy assets searched for the missing aircraft and pilot, finding debris on the water that confirmed its crash; Hosomi's remains were recovered in June.[367][368][369] In response, Japan grounded its 12 F-35As.[370][366] There was speculation that China or Russia might attempt to salvage it; the Japanese Defense Ministry announced there had been no "reported activities" from either country.[366] The F-35 reportedly did not send a distress signal nor did the pilot attempt any recovery maneuvers as the aircraft descended at a rapid rate.[365][371] The accident report attributed the cause to the pilot's spatial disorientation.[372]
On 19 May 2020, a USAF F-35A from the 58th Fighter Squadron crashed while landing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The pilot ejected and was in stable condition.[369]
On 29 September 2020, a USMC F-35B fighter jet crashed in Imperial County, California, after colliding with a Marine Corps KC-130 during air-to-air refuelling. The F-35B pilot was injured in the ejection, but the KC-130 crash-landed gear up i n a field