This F-35B crash is the first one for the U.S. military’s newest and most expensive aircraft
A U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B has crashed in coastal South Carolina, on Sep. 28, 2018. According to CBS the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said the crash was reported about 11:45 a.m. near the Grays Hill community.
Noteworthy this Lightning II crash is the first one for the U.S. military’s newest and most expensive aircraft.
The sheriff’s office said in a tweet that the pilot ejected safely. It wasn’t immediately clear if the pilot was injured.
The crash took place about 4 miles west of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort.
The crash comes after that an F-35C attached to VFA-125 was forced to divert to Fresno Yosemite International Airport after an indicator light up in the cockpit on Sep. 24.
An F-35C assigned to VFA-125 ingested debris from an aerial refueling basket while receiving fuel from a F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103 on Aug. 22.
The pilot recovered the aircraft back aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).
Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht said that damage to the F-35C was reported as a Class A mishap – the most serious type for a military aircraft.
That same day a U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-35A experienced a nose gear malfunction at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB). The aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency and returned to base. The Lightning II landed safely and parked when the front nose gear collapsed.
As previously reported the USMC F-35B conducted its first combat strikes in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, on Sep. 27.
Photo by Sam Richardson via Twitter
