50 minutes of conversation between engineer and pilot, then fighter jet F-35 crashed on the ground

News Topical, Digital Desk : A US Air Force  F-35  pilot was forced to eject from the plane after holding a 50-minute mid-air conference call with engineers to fix a serious problem in the aircraft. After this the plane  crashed on the runway in Alaska  .

The reason for the accident was ice formation in the hydraulic system of the jet. Due to this, the landing gear of the plane got jammed. The pilot tried to retract the gear as soon as the flight took off, but the gear got stuck on the left side. When he tried to lower the gear again, it got completely jammed. The jet sensor thought that the plane had landed on the ground, after which the jet became uncontrollable.

Consultation with engineers mid-air

The pilot started a conference call with five Lockheed Martin engineers midair. They tried to fix the problem for about 50 minutes.

During this time, the pilot tried to make a "touch and go" landing twice, so that the jammed front gear could be straightened, but both times he failed. Eventually, the jet's sensors gave wrong signals and it became completely out of control. The pilot had to leave the jet and jump out with a parachute.

After the accident, the jet fell on the runway and started burning. In the viral video on social media, the jet can be seen spinning and turning into a ball of fire. Although the pilot landed safely on the ground, this accident has proved to be a big setback for the F-35 program.

Ice and lag in the hydraulic system

The Air Force investigation revealed that the hydraulic fluid of the jet's front and right landing gear contained one-third water, which froze in the cold of -18 degrees Celsius. This ice caused the gear to jam. Surprisingly, nine days after the accident, another jet at the same base had a problem of "hydraulic icing", although it landed safely.

The report clearly stated that the decisions taken by the pilots and engineers during the call and negligence in the management of hazardous materials were the major causes of this accident.

Questions arising on F-35 program

Lockheed Martin's F-35 program has long been mired in controversy. Its high cost and haste in production have been criticized. The cost of a jet was around $135.8 million in 2021, which dropped to $81 million in 2024.

Yet, according to a U.S. government report, the program will run until 2088 and will cost more than $2 trillion in total.

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