F-35 pilot held a conference with engineers before crash in Alaska

The pilot of an F-35 fighter jet of the United States Air Force consulted with engineers for 50 minutes, trying to solve a problem with his fighter in flight before it crashed in Alaska in January 2025. This was reported by CNN on August 28.

The pilot tried to solve the problem together with five specialists. The conference was attended by a senior software engineer, an aviation safety engineer and three landing gear system specialists. After the conference, the pilot ejected, and the F-35 fighter jet, worth $200 million, crashed to the ground.

According to CNN, there was a problem after takeoff when trying to retract the landing gear. The pilot took action to lower them again, but this caused the fighter to assume that it was on the ground. Next, the pilot tried two short touch-and-go landings to try to straighten the jammed nose landing gear, but these attempts failed to center the nose wheel and caused the left and right main landing gear struts to freeze and could not fully extend for a real landing.

After that, the aircraft's computer systems switched to an automated ground operation mode. The fighter became uncontrollable, which forced the pilot to eject.

The cause of the accident is ice in the hydraulic lines in the nose and main landing gear struts of the F-35, which prevented their proper deployment. An inspection of the wreckage showed that about a third of the fluid in the hydraulic systems in both the nose and right main landing gear was water, whereas it should not have been there.

An investigation found a similar hydraulic icing problem on another F-35 fighter jet at the same base during a flight nine days after the crash, but this aircraft was able to land without incident.

Thus, the Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents of the Air Force (Air Force) The United States concluded that the decisions of the crew, including during the conference, the lack of control over the storage and distribution of hydraulic fluid, as well as improper maintenance procedures for the hydraulics of the aircraft contributed to the crash.

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The accident occurred on Tuesday, January 28, on the runway at the Eyelson Air Force Base in Alaska. As a result, the fighter was seriously damaged. The pilot survived and received minor injuries.

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