JASDF F-35A crashed

[Gamera]

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

2019/04/12:
Training was two versus two.
Accident pilot's final radio contact, "Suspend training," was one minute before radar contact lost.

http://www.atv.jp/news/?id=00006684

2019/04/11:
Pilot was Major Hosomi Akinori (41).

[saberrider]

'vilters' said: "...Your primary flight instruments (helmet mounted) and the nose of the aircraft are not guaranteed to be in the same spot any more what adds to the initial confusion...." You need to explain what you mean by this because it is not clear to me what you are attempting to describe, correct or not. Pilot Flying information may be seen anywhere via the HMDS whilst the vHUD is always in the same place on the nose of the aircraft as one would expect, as has been explained by 'QS' in a much earlier thread about all of this. However the vHUD front view may be switched to a rear view also.

Here Helmet-mounted displays search - top left 'vHUD': viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223

vHUD view looking forward: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223&p=288480&hilit=vHUD#p288480

Good 'QuickSilver' explaino: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223&p=234157&hilit=vHUD#p234157

"...The HMDS provides a range of functions for the pilot. One is the virtual HUD or VHUD. The VHUD is projected on the visor where one would find a conventional HUD in a legacy jet -- oriented on a fixed reference to the aircraft -- e.g. the waterline, FRL or whatever they call it in the jets some of you have flown...."

SKAFF the designer: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223&p=221823&hilit=vHUD#p221823

(End of page quote below is about the last two graphics as seen above (13th & 14th slides).) Grfx LINK below post.

"...The HMD with vHUD opens the view into over 41000 square degrees. This is the full sphere surrounding the aircraft. The thirteenth slide provides an example of the vHUD when the pilot looks directly forward where a physical HUD would be. F-35 pilots report that in about 10 minutes they become accustomed to the vHUD. The pilots recognize the potential improvements in lethality and survivability of the HMD.

The final slide provides an example of off axis symbology. In general, Lockheed only take key flight parameters and tactical symbology off axis. In the future Lockheed will investigate off axis attitude awareness symbology. The mil standards don’t yet address HMDs and off axis symbology. Lockheed will work with the Services to improve and update The standard as well as the HMD symbology."" http://www.sldinfo.com/whitepapers/the- ... ion-maker/

viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223&p=221805&hilit=White+Paper#p221805

I guess he talking about the inner ear info. (Otolits floating in liquid)telling lies to the brain about true position of the pilots body and VHUD information in front of the eyes confused more pilots brain

[spazsinbad]

I do not think the entire previous post had to be QUOTED to input your two lines of text. What you describe is ONE aspect of SPATIAL Disorientation (SD) which has many emenations. Mostly it is cured by flying 'straight & level' which is pilot shorthand for "straight (not turning) with LEVEL wings and perhaps a level attitude (not climbing or descending) depending on the circumstances. This cure helps to stop the physical causes that are out of aircrew control because they are the product of airyplane flight conditions. Probably like EVERY fast jet military pilot I have suffered from SD however training and briefings about it helped me cope (as others have done as they have attested here and elsewhere in this forum). There is information on internet about SD for aircrew & how to combat it. There is at least a PDF about it on this forum.

Amongst the many posts scattered throughout this forum there is a 150 page PDF about it and other avMed stuff here:

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=53778&p=387208&hilit=%2ASpatial+Disorientation%2A#p387208
OR
download/file.php?id=26467 Hypoxia&SpatialDisorientation&AeroMedical+Gtolerance+Neck PRN pp150.pdf 10.7Mb

A FUNNI article about SD not in above PDF here: [NOW 10 page PDF of it attached below]
http://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodli ... ientation/

[marsavian]

F-35A crash: Japan’s defense minister addresses security concerns, procurement plans

https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia ... ent-plans/

Japan has started combing the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean for the wreckage of its F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, two days after the aircraft crashed into waters off northern Japan.

Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, addressing the media on Friday morning Tokyo time, said the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has deployed a submarine rescue vessel to search the depths in the area where the F-35A crashed. The area is estimated to be about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) deep.

The pilot of the crashed F-35, who the Japan Air Self-Defense Force identified as 41-year-old Maj. Akinori Hosomi, is still missing. He was taking part in an air combat training mission with three other F-35s on Tuesday evening when the pilot and aircraft lost contact with other members of the flight and disappeared from radar approximately 85 miles (135 kilometers) east of Misawa Air Base in the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

The Misawa-based aircraft disappeared soon after Hosomi — who had 3,200 flight hours under his belt that included 60 on the F-35A — told the other pilots taking part to end the training portion of the flight. No other communication was subsequently heard from him, and none of the other pilots saw the aircraft crash.

Iwaya also confirmed that there is no intention to revise Japan’s procurement of more F-35s pending the results of an investigation into the crash. Japan plans to acquire a total of 147 F-35s, split into 105 F-35A and 42 F-35B.

The minister was asked about the possibility of China or Russia attempting to salvage the crashed F-35 from the seafloor given the highly classified nature of the technology onboard the stealth jet. He said no unusual activity had been observed at the crash site, although Japanese forces are continuing to monitor the situation.

[Gums]

Salute!

@ saberrider !!

I think you have already been advised to avoid using entire posts as a quote.

- for one thing, we have likely read the post. So just use the link number
- consider snipping a relevant sentence or two. I am not even sure what your point is
- finally, I am on a "pay per byte" account with my satellite Needless tripe and graphics and videos and..... are expensive

Gums sends...

[spazsinbad]

This cartoon by CARUSO (the GREAT) from NAN Naval Aviation News October 2012 PDF above says it all....

[spazsinbad]

Seems to me to be part of a 'beat up' of events which occur with military aircraft. Firstly a TEST flight & then a malfunction - which happens. Do I need to itemize my aircraft malfunctions whilst flying - GAWD I'd be here forever. AND THEN there is BEFORE FLYING so I actually stayed on the ground but I have NO recollection of these MANY times.

Defense Ministry: F35A had 2 emergency landings
11-12 Apr 2019 NHKworld

"Japan's Defense Ministry says an F35A fighter jet that crashed into the sea off northern Japan on Tuesday had made two emergency landings in the last two years. State Minister of Defense Kenji Harada was speaking at a Lower House committee meeting on Thursday.

The minister referred to a test flight by US manufacturer Lockheed Martin in June, 2017, before Japan deployed the aircraft. He said the flight was aborted after a cooling system alert. The minister said the manufacturer found faults in the system and replaced the defective parts before delivering the jet to the defense ministry.

A ministry official also said at the committee meeting that while the same aircraft was flying in bad weather last August, there was a malfunction in the position indicator [whatever that is]. The Defense Ministry says the defective parts were replaced...."

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190412_11/

[blindpilot]

THEN there is BEFORE FLYING so I actually stayed on the ground but I have NO recollection of these MANY times.

Well said. Made me mindful of one of those "shoulda been dead" moments.
In the midst of waived flight rules supporting a tense week in SE Asia we took off with a bad epr gage. Non problem ... that flight.. The next day it happened again in the chocks. "Not today," we decided, and turned it over to the crew chief, while we went to get a snack... before that the chief asked us to run up the engine and its companion on the other wing. (to avoid ground looping) He banged the gage and discerned "yep bad gage.." at which time the "good" engine shelled, like a nice fireworks show.. Good thing we weren't just lifting off as we had the day before.

Bottom line - Sh*t happens. Primary cause in our case. Wearing out the airplane with too many back to back to back sorties, without tender loving care it needed.

But bottom line. Best we not dwell too much on "shoulda been dead's" and move forward with any lessons learned. Pilot and family in my prayers.

FWIW,
BP

[neurotech]

Seems to me to be part of a 'beat up' of events which occur with military aircraft. Firstly a TEST flight & then a malfunction - which happens. Do I need to itemize my aircraft malfunctions whilst flying - GAWD I'd be here forever. AND THEN there is BEFORE FLYING so I actually stayed on the ground but I have NO recollection of these MANY times.

Pilots who regularly fly post-maintenance Functional Check Flights, depending on a variety of factors, often end up with multiple emergency landings a month. Even more if you count "precautionary" landings.

One particular jet having 2 emergency landings in 2 years, is exceptionally few, considering all the situations that would require an emergency landing.

[spazsinbad]

Whilst said landings may have not been 'emergency' but just poor characterization by somebody plain ignorant. As 'neurotech' says these 'events' could have been precautionary landings or OTHERWISE A NON-EVENT except a/c write-up.

[zero-one]

Question, what other countries have licensed built or at least locally assembled F-35s
Japan, Italy, who else?

[spazsinbad]

Daunting salvage task awaits Japanese F-35 investigators baffled by crash
11 Apr 2019 Tim Kelly

"TOKYO (Reuters) - Two days after one of Japan’s F-35 stealth fighters plunged into the Pacific and no closer to finding out why it happened, investigators face a daunting task to recover what remains of the highly classified jet from the ocean depths. Air Self Defense Force (ASDF) investigators have found small sections of the F-35’s wing floating in the sea which suggests the advanced aircraft hit the water, but not why it disappeared from radar screens without warning.

“We have not recovered anything that would point to a cause,” an air force official told Reuters as the search continues for the missing pilot. The remaining wreckage of the $126 million fighter lies at a depth of around 1,500 meters (4922 ft), including the flight data recorder which would shed light on what happened off the coast of northern Japan on Wednesday evening....

...The normally stealthy Lockheed Martin jet is fitted with a transponder that pings its position and can be configured to light up on radar scopes during training flights, the air force official said. Radar operators tracking the jet received a training abort message from the lost aircraft before it disappeared about 135 km (84 miles) east of the base. There was no communication from the pilot indicating a problem with the aircraft.

The plane was not on a low-level practice run, suggesting the veteran pilot with 3,200 hours of flying time but only 60 hours in the F-35, should have had time to react to an emergency, the air force official said.

DEEP WATER
The military may have to hire marine salvage firms with submersible craft able to recover wreckage from deep water. The candidates include Japan’s two biggest marine salvage firms...."

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japa ... SKCN1RN1BE

[mixelflick]

I don't mean to make light of this, but it reads precisely like a Tom Clancy novel.

Prayers for the pilot and his family/squadron mates..

[Gums]

Salute!

Thanks, Spaz..
And looks like the spokesman has same opinion that I expressed after my Tom Clancy suggestion. Something bad happened, he made the "knock it off" call, then somthing worse happened.

The plane was not on a low-level practice run, suggesting the veteran pilot with 3,200 hours of flying time but only 60 hours in the F-35, should have had time to react to an emergency, the air force official said.

DEEP WATER
The military may have to hire marine salvage firms with submersible craft able to recover wreckage from deep water. The candidates include Japan’s two biggest marine salvage firms...

I would hope the government would look at the outfit that recovered Air France 447 after previous ones failed. They are the same ones that found Yorktown, Scorpion, and Titanic And this wrekage hs a much better position and much more shallow ocean floor. Meanwhile, throw nickel on the grass.

Gums sends...

[citanon]

Sounding like an in flight medical emergency. Any possibility if running into a massive flock of birds at altitude at their location?