The pilot of the $100 million F-35B Lightning II fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina last week landed safely in the backyard of a nearby home, an unnamed US Marine Corps official said, according to the AP.
The jet pilot was flying at an altitude of about 1,000 feet and just a mile north of Charleston International Airport when he “experienced a problem and was forced to eject,” according to the source. The pilot, who has not been identified, was not seriously injured and was released after being treated at a local medical center.
A Royal Air Force F-35B at Amari Air Base in Estonia in March 2022.
Royal Air Force
It’s still unclear what caused a US Marine Corps F-35B to crash in South Carolina. However, Business Insider reported that the crash of a British F-35B two years ago showed that even a simple maintenance error can bring down a state-of-the-art aircraft.
In August, the UK Ministry of Defense released its final report on the disappearance of the F-35B, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in November 2021 while taking off from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The pilot managed to eject safely and parachute to the flight deck, but the plane sank to the seabed, where it was found almost intact at a depth of nearly 2,000 m and was eventually salvaged.
Investigators determined the cause of the crash was a jammed air intake flap before takeoff. The F-35B needs 17.2 tons of thrust to launch from the flight deck of the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, but the blocked door meant the plane only received 14.2 tons of thrust.
This went undetected because the F-35B's air intake duct design creates a blind spot where only someone climbing into the intake duct could detect the foreign object in the duct.
The Royal Navy crew at the time did not notice the problem because it was the fighter's first deployment. Investigators concluded: "A lack of understanding of the design features and the possibility of items being hidden in the intakes was a contributing factor to the accident."
In addition, staff shortages that resulted in overworked ground crews and inadequately trained maintenance personnel were also factors in the accidents.
The crash report also raised concerns among more than 20 countries that operate or plan to buy F-35s. British investigators said the engine covers, which are used to shield sensitive parts of the aircraft from debris and enemy surveillance, had repeatedly been lost or dropped during operations.
Since the F-35, which has three variants, entered service in 2015, about 10 have crashed, an accident rate on par with other military aircraft. However, the British report listed many F-35 incidents involving air intake flaps and plugs.
According to Business Insider , it is not yet possible to conclude whether the F-35B's engine cover is related to the recent crash in South Carolina. However, the British report shows that even a small error with a small device can have catastrophic consequences for a complex aircraft like the F-35.
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