F-35 crash caused by technical glitch, distracted pilot

The May crash of an F-35A Lightning II at Florida's Eglin Air Force base was caused by the pilot trying to land at an excessive speed, and a flight control logic glitch that left its tail unresponsive, according to a new report.

According to the report, the pilot was also fatigued, causing "cognitive degradation" and was distracted at a critical point in the flight and lacked key understanding of the flight-control logic.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was safely ejected from the aircraft as it landed on the base and did not sustain serious injuries.

Investigators also found problems with the aircraft's oxygen system.

The pilot had nearly 138 hours of flight time in the F-35A, including slightly more than 53 instructor hours and eight night flying hours.

The May 19 crash was the second involving a fifth-generation fighter at Eglin that week, coming four days after an F-22 crash on the same base.

Leadership on the base subsequently put flights on hold on the base.

The report did not discuss corrective actions or flight safety restrictions as a result of the accident.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

State Department approves $14B sales of F-35s, F-18s to Switzerland
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 01, 2020
The State Department approved the possible sales - for $14 billion - of 80 military aircraft to Switzerland this week. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency issued two separate press releases relating to the deals this week: one announcing a possible $6.58 billion deal to sell 40 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft to Switzerland, and another announcing the possible $7.452 billion sale of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft to the country. According to DSCA, the government of Switzerland ... read more