JASDF F-35A crashed

[krieger22]

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... 2-mai-soci

Seems like the 302nd has restarted training flights

Machine translation follows:

The Air Self-Defense Force resumed flying the state-of-the-art stealth fighter squadron that had been scheduled for the flight in the wake of the crash. The aircraft took off from Misawa Air Base, Aomori Prefecture, where the squadron is located, for the first time in about a month.

The air self is a policy to start from the basic training step by step, and the night training is not executed for the time being.

This is the state-of-the-art stealth fighter []] The accident occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Aomori Prefecture on the night of The Moon. On June 10, The Air Self published an interim report that said that the pilot of the accident aircraft was likely to have fallen into a "spatial disorientation" in which he lost his sense of balance.

Education, training, and inspection of aircraft for spatial disorientation have been promoted, and the local government has gained an understanding of the resumption of flight. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters on Sunday that he was able to take all measures to ensure the safety of the flight. "We want to make sure that there is no delay as much as possible" in the deployment of the same type of aircraft in the future. [Machida Tokujo, Heike Yudai]

English language source here: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan- ... atal-crash

[Gamera]

https://topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp/article ... 040127000c

Thursday, 2019/08/01:
F-35A x 2.
JASDF, based at Misawa AB, Aomori Prefecture.

14:45, training flights resumed, but not night training flights.

[Gamera]

(IMO, a sh*tty night.)

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... 0-yom-soci
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... onews-soci
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... 8-jij-soci
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... onews-soci
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... onews-soci
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... 4-mai-soci

Friday, 2019/08/09:
Accident report, final version.

Accident cause is pilot's spatial disorientation, same conclusion as accident report mid-term version dated 2019/06/10.
Pilot not aware his altitude and attitude.

Accident investigation committee used simulator to reproduce accident according to data from data-share system and radar site.
Based on recovered engine fragments, engine was at high revolution speed before and until crash.

Control system, electric system, and engine were normally operating.
If not, simulator could not reproduce same trajectory.

During dive at 60 degrees and almost sonic speed, alarm sound and collision and speed warnings in display monitor, as appeared in simulator, warned pilot, but pilot began to recover a few degrees before crash.

One minute before crash, wingman flew near accident F-35, and could distract accident pilot.

[Gamera]

>Tuesday, 9 April 2019:
>F-35A.
>79-8705. #705. US S/N 15-5158. C/N AX-05.

http://www.asagumo-news.com/homepage/ht ... 81604.html

2019/08/16:
Accident F-35 #705 was one of four aircraft in air combat training, and his opponent was the third of these aircraft.
To avoid US military aircraft approaching their training area, he began to descend.

The third aircraft he fought, was 2,200 m below him.
After the third aircraft flew by, he banked 135 degrees, and almost inverted.

Then he suddenly circled left 90 degrees.
From altitude 9,900 m, he descended at 60 degrees, and above 900 km/h.
From altitude 6,000 m, speed warning activated...

[Gamera]

https://www.chunichi.co.jp/s/article/20 ... 02439.html

2019/09/10

JASDF Misawa AB commander visits Misawa City mayor, and says F-35A night training will resume from 2019/09/17.

[ricnunes]

Thanks Gamera! That really sheds light to what lead to this tragedy.

[Gamera]

No problemo, dude.
The truth is out there.

[Gamera]

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2019 ... webtoo-l02
https://www.toonippo.co.jp/articles/-/249130

Tuesday, 2019/09/17:
Aomori Prefecture, Misawa AB, JASDF F-35A resumed night training.

After 17:40, two F-35 moved from hangar to runway.
17:54, took off.
After 19:05, approached from east of air base, and began first of three touch and go.
19:32, landed.

[inst]

Do you guys really think the JASDF is fully competent? In East Asia, there's often an obsession with face, which means that people work for the appearance of working (when the goal should be results) and people would rather have a good facade with crummy internals than a poor facade with excellent internals.

Japan's carefully cultivated a reputation for quality and professionalism, but we've also had corruption scandals in Japan and the Fukushima disaster was the result of shoddy regulations and reactor design. I've noticed comments about the oddity of having a 60-hour pilot lead a flight, or more specifically the incompetence involved. It could also link to seniority in traditional Japanese organizations (seniority in Japanese traditional corporations is a big thing, with long-term loyalty being rewarded over competence).

[spazsinbad]

I'm hoping you are aware that the deceased Japanese F-35A pilot also had 3,000+ hours in fighter aircraft? Have you read the early posts in this thread (& the links to) SD Spatial Disorientation? You will become aware of your face in this thread.

Start here page 2 this thread: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416429&hilit=front#p416429

Then go here page 3: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416503&hilit=black#p416503

ALSO page 4: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416606&hilit=transition#p416606

By same 'QS' good comment page 5: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416627&hilit=lead#p416627

Same page: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416654&hilit=vilters#p416654

Now read on page 6 about DISORIENTATION (SD): viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416657&hilit=Disorientation#p416657

[inst]

I'm hoping you are aware that the deceased Japanese F-35A pilot also had 3,000+ hours in fighter aircraft? Have you read the early posts in this thread (& the links to) SD Spatial Disorientation? You will become aware of your face in this thread.

Start here page 2 this thread: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416429&hilit=front#p416429

Then go here page 3: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416503&hilit=black#p416503

ALSO page 4: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416606&hilit=transition#p416606

By same 'QS' good comment: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416627&hilit=lead#p416627

I went over that before I posted, i.e, someone was complaining that given the pilot's inexperience with the new aircraft, he should have not been allowed to lead the flight. That's my point about seniority, the guy had 3,000+ hours in other fighter aircraft, was in his 40s, and was a major. But specifically concerning the F-35, he was a neophyte despite his strong background, and if someone else had led he might still be alive.

Without knowing enough of the details (and trust in the Japanese government has crashed after Fukushima), it seems reasonable to blame the JASDF for having him lead the mission instead of assigning someone who might have been more junior, but experienced in the airframe, or compromising by having him nominally lead the mission but delegate actual leadership to someone with more F-35 flight hours.

[spazsinbad]

This is a great pithy comment by 'quicksilver': viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416606&hilit=transition#p416606

IF you know F-35 flying hours of the JASDF individual pilots please post them. Otherwise you speculate unwisely mostly.

Because you have no comment about SD Spatial Disorientation I'll guess you do not understand what this is and means for any fast jet pilot (also at night). This thread goes on to provide explanations about the final moments of the crash pilot which seem to indicate he was not aware of his SD or was otherwise incapacitated (also explained in thread examples).

Good graphic here: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=421489&hilit=Dragon029#p421489

[inst]

This is a great pithy comment by 'quicksilver': viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=416606&hilit=transition#p416606

IF you know F-35 flying hours of the JASDF individual pilots please post them. Otherwise you speculate unwisely mostly.

Because you have no comment about SD Spatial Disorientation I'll guess you do not understand what this is and means for any fast jet pilot (also at night). This thread goes on to provide explanations about the final moments of the crash pilot which seem to indicate he was not aware of his SD or was otherwise incapacitated (also explained in thread examples).

Good graphic here: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=55255&p=421489&hilit=Dragon029#p421489

Previously posted is the comment that the pilot had 60 hours and that it was very strange that he was given flight lead roles with so few flying hours in an F-35.

I'm not blaming the pilot, nor am I, like citanon, blaming the quality of Japanese airframe manufacturing. I'm blaming the JASDF's procedures in this case; i.e, a pilot inexperienced with the F-35 cockpit has a SD situation while simultaneously leading a flight.

The JASDF responds by improving training regarding SD for F-35 pilots, which is one way of reducing future fatal incidents, but another might simply be not to let their pilots undertake such responsibilities with so few flight hours in the F-35.

===

Once again, about flight hours: https://japan-forward.com/the-f-35a-cra ... -security/

[spazsinbad]

There are plenty of non-pilots/non ex-pilots here making ignorant comments, especially about SD. As 'quicksilver' and 'gums' point out "someone has to lead". It is always the same when starting out with new aircraft. My own example was waiting for lengthy time before being trained on the A4G Skyhawk. Pilots with previous experience with the Sea Venom went first (I had not such experience). Later when all the 'old' pilots were trained the training pipeline worked as one would expect, with inexperienced pilots getting to train in the A4G quickly, rather than wait around flying old stuff.

This is a telling quote from your reference above: [I would dispute the use of RARE in quote, see SD references in thread]

"...First, the pilot may have experienced vertigo during the drill by losing location and situational awareness, which led to loss of control of the aircraft itself. It is true that the pilot was a veteran with about 3,200 hours of flight time, including 60 hours on the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) of the F-35A, but we know even veteran pilots can experience such vertigo in rare cases...." https://japan-forward.com/the-f-35a-cra ... -security/

Again if you read 'news' reports from non-pilot blogs or 'not very aware aviation writers' (there are plenty out there) your information flow (if you are not a pilot) is going to be skewed.

Here is an ITALIAN AIR FORCE example of a pilot flying across the Atlantic:

"...And with the first F-35 transatlantic flight recently conducted by Ninja, the all-Italian air package — one F-35, two Eurofighters and two KC-767 tankers — crossed the Atlantic from the Azores in 7 hours against stiff headwinds.
The pilot had only 50 hours on the F-35 prior to the flight and the plane only 15 flight hours...." http://www.sldinfo.com/italian-naval-ai ... r-station/

[inst]

Transition course flight hours are either unavailable or difficult to find for the JASDF.

However, I will mention:

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-sho ... onal-unit/

The time of training is 18 months in this case, although it's probably referring to multiple pilots sharing the fighter.

https://www.944fw.afrc.af.mil/News/Arti ... 5-program/

This article quotes 7 months.