Final Conclusions On Bizarre Crash Of ‘Zombie’ F-35B That Flew Without A Pilot For 64 Miles Released

The Wa ^ | October 31, 2024 | Tyler Rogoway

[Red Badger]

Aviation Ping!........................

[Red Badger]

Aviation Ping!........................

[Sirius Lee]

I hope this doesn’t negatively impact his or her promotion.

[Red Badger]

Promotion to civilian...............

[notdownwidems]

they’re promoting zir <sarc

[rlmorel]

I don't know-I feel more sympathetic. On the surface...it sounds like stupidity. But landing in "a missed approach in instrument meteorological conditions and heavy precipitation" and he experienced this:

"...an electrical event during flight, which induced failures of both primary radios, the transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system; and the probability that the helmet-mounted display and panoramic cockpit display were not operational for at least three distinct periods. This caused the pilot to become disoriented in challenging instrument and meteorological conditions..."

I don't know. Can't see outside the cockpit. Helmet display isn't working. Regular displays not working.

That's just crazy scary to me, especially in a plane meant to fly with the aid of computer inputs.

That is sphincter-tightening for even the most experienced pilots. I can't find it in myself to blame the pilot. For all he knew, the plane was diving to the ground or getting ready to stall in a nose-up attitude! And being that close to the ground, because I don't think he was at altitude.

[hal ogen]

DEI?

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- “the pilot incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled flight emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit during a heavy rainstorm compounded with aircraft electrical and display malfunctions.” ....

I was outside gardening when the over-flight went by, far too low and far too loud. Clear skies. The area where it finally crashed also showed clear skies. The article and conclusion strike me as an attempt to end the investigation, that the public will forget.

[yukong]

The Marine Times reported: “A pilot who ejected from a malfunctioning F-35B in heavy rain over South Carolina last year — which kept flying on autopilot for 64 nautical miles before crashing — was fired from his command of a prestigious squadron as a result of the mishap.”

The article went on to say: “Col. Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo, 49, confirmed to Marine Corps Times he was the pilot who ejected from the F-35B over Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 17, 2023, and parachuted into a resident’s backyard. And in a written statement, Del Pizzo said Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith ordered him to be fired from command of Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 after reviewing the report on the crash investigation.”

[kenmcg]

Name of the pilot? Pilot error, one can imagine.

[New Perspective]

No, Ward Carrol has a very informative channel discusses it. He was a former Tomcat RIO.

Ward Carroll F-35 Report

[mikey_hates_everything]

Are they going to bill the officer for his missing gear?

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

"while attempting to execute a climbout during a missed approach in instrument meteorological conditions and heavy precipitation"

I agree with you.

[rdcbn1]

If the pilot lost instruments and radios, had a major electrical and systems failure at low altitude on a missed approach in heavy rain and actual instrument flying conditions that's a pretty serious event in any airplane, much less a high performance jet.

Especially if the helmet visor display system was not working or cutting out.

Not sure if an ejection was the only option but I'm not going to be too judgey on this one.

[rlmorel]

I wasn’t kidding-as I read that, I visualized it perfectly in my mind. He couldn’t have been more than a thousand feet if he was climbing out. At that low altitude, vertigo, no visibility, no instruments...in an unstable plane when manually controlled...

I fully get why he might have bailed. I hope other pilots on the board investigating understood it too. Embarrassing, but...easily understood.

I read recently where a B-36 back in the Fifties had an engine fire that engulfed the wing as they flew over the Pacific at night off the coast of Oregon (I think) while it had a nuclear weapon aboard without the fissionable material in it.

They jettisoned the conventionally explosive bomb, but couldn’t put the fire out so they all bailed out and were saved.

The fire must have gone out on its own, and the plane flew inland for several hundred miles with no crew before crashing into a mountain in the Northwest United States somewhere.

[Bigg Red]

mark

[T.B. Yoits]

For all he knew, the plane was diving to the ground or getting ready to stall in a nose-up attitude.

The report says his instrument landing system (ILS) was not operational for three distinct periods but does not say that his altimeter, airspeed indicator, and attitude indicator were malfunctioning. Those instruments (and his turn-and-bank indicator) would show him if he was approaching stall or going nose-up.

[xxqqzz]

Seems like a difficult situation, particularly with a fighter close to the ground. Pilot was apparently a full colonel with Spanish surname. Probably not making general.

[T.B. Yoits]

From the article: The investigation concluded the pilot’s decision to eject was ultimately inappropriate because commanded-flight inputs were in progress at the time of ejection, standby flight instrumentation was providing accurate data, and the aircraft’s backup radio was, at least partially, functional. Furthermore, the aircraft continued to fly for an extended period after ejection.”

That reads like a routine simulator training exercise. The transponder likely only became and issue because ATC couldn't detect the plane to tell the pilot where he was.