Fighter Jet News
F-35 Lightning II News
An F-35 stealth fighter's landing gear collapsed after landing at a Utah base
June 8, 2020 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
The landing gear of an F-35A Lightning II collapsed after it landed at Hill Air Force Base around 10:45h following a routine training flight Monday. The pilot safely egressed the jet.
The aircraft is assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill.
The incident follows an F-35A crash in late May, when one of the fifth-generation fighters assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base crashed during an evening training flight. That crash was preceded by an F-22 Raptor crash days earlier. The F-22, another fifth-generation aircraft, assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing crashed at Eglin as well. In both instances, the pilots were able to eject safely.
This is the second time a USAF F-35A has had a landing gear related mishap. On August 22, 2018, an F-35A from the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB in Florida experienced a nose wheel collapse after landing immediately following an in-flight emergency. The pilot was not injured.
Maintainers from the 419th and 388th FW's Hill AFB, conduct preflight checks on an F-35A during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis AFB on January 24th, 2017. [USAF photo by A1C. Nathan Byrnes]
The incident follows an F-35A crash in late May, when one of the fifth-generation fighters assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base crashed during an evening training flight. That crash was preceded by an F-22 Raptor crash days earlier. The F-22, another fifth-generation aircraft, assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing crashed at Eglin as well. In both instances, the pilots were able to eject safely.
This is the second time a USAF F-35A has had a landing gear related mishap. On August 22, 2018, an F-35A from the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB in Florida experienced a nose wheel collapse after landing immediately following an in-flight emergency. The pilot was not injured.