F-35 Aircraft Database

Suffered a landing mishap on the USS Carl Vinson with the pilot ejecting safely.

On final approach to landing the pilot experienced a slight rumbling to his aircraft due to wake turbulence from preceding aircraft. This air flow disturbance resulted in erroneous inputs to the air data application (ADA) of the F-35 flight control system. The erroneous inputs to the ADA resulted in a condition in which the aircraft flight controls did not respond correctly for the actual current conditions of the F-35. Recognizing that the F-35 was not responding appropriately to control inputs the pilot selected full afterburner power to attempt to recover to controlled flight. Due to the low altitude, low airspeed, and sideslip flight path of the F-35 the pilot was unable to recover the aircraft and initiated ejection. The pilot ejected before the F-35 impacted the ground and was destroyed.

The aircraft suffered a nose landing gear collapse at Kadena AB while being towed following an emergency/precautionary landing.

During a hover test there was a malfunction in which the aircraft landed on the runway and got out of control raising it's back and tipping nose down into the ground with the pilot ejecting. The pilot ejected safely.