On Thursday morning, an F-35B Lightning II fighter jet crash-landed at a navy airfield in Texas, forcing the pilot to jump from the aircraft.
The $100 million plane crashed at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base as it touched down on the runway. The pilot’s state is still a mystery.
It wasn’t the first time an F-35B has crashed recently; the aircraft takes off and landings vertically, much like a helicopter.
A jet’s front landing gear disintegrated just last month while it was being carried across a runway in Japan, and a jet careened off an aircraft carrier’s flight deck last year and sunk into the Mediterranean.
The F-35B was seen falling vertically to the runway in Fort Worth before softly touching down.
Then, it seemed as if the jet might bounce a few feet back into the air and go ahead before abruptly plunging forward and crashing nose-first into the earth.
The strategy turned 180 degrees while moving ahead on its snout in a cloud of dust and smoke. Then, as it continued to move forward, it spun around and dropped upright into its landing gear.
The pilot then blasted out of the cockpit while carrying their parachute, which opened in midair as they veered sharply toward the earth.
The armaments contractor and plane manufacturer Lockheed Martin issued a statement acknowledging the accident.
The F-35B crashed on a shared runway at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, and the pilot safely escaped, according to the business. Safety is our first concern, and the proper investigative procedure will be followed.
The jet is built by Lockheed Martin at a facility that has a runway shared with a Navy base.
The cutting-edge aircraft, which made its debut in 2015, has had several issues lately.
Due to problematic ejection systems, the Air Force has grounded 300 of its F-35B aircraft, which cost an estimated $23 billion all all.
The F-35 ejection seats’ explosive cartridges, which in an emergency propel the pilot clear of the aircraft, were at problem.
In order to speed up the inspection process, [Air Combat Command] ACC troops will perform a stand-down on July 29, according to a representative for the organization at the time.
And in the South China Sea in February of this year, a Lightning II crashed while trying to land aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
When the aircraft approached the ship, a video clip that had been shared on social media at the moment suddenly filled the screen with smoke and abruptly ended with an ominous engine sound.
Later pictures showed the aircraft sinking into the water and becoming partially buried.
Six sailors from the Vinson were also claimed to have been hurt when the pilot ejected from the aircraft during the collision.
»Pilot ejects from $100M F-35B plane before it nose-dives into tarmac«