Posted on 08/27/2025 9:11:29 AM PDT by FrozenAssets
The F-35 crash at Eileson AFB on January 28th was the result of frozen water inside the nose gear strut. It had been serviced from a barrel of hydraulic fluid that was left outside at Kadena and got water in it. Weight on wheel sensors were falsely indicating thst the plane was on the ground and it became uncontrollable. The 196 million dollar plane was totally destroyed.
You took the word right out of my mouth.
Where is the article? Link does not go to it.
Ok, base procedures. Don’t mix hydraulic fluid with water... check.
the lesson here is little things make a difference.
A lot of places to apply that lesson.
Totally preventable incident.
That is a shame. Poor Maintenance is a far too often cause of crashes. When I was serving at a Naval Air Station, we had an F-4 crash because someone had slid the intake cover down into the intake and forgot to take it out. When the pilot used his afterburners, it sucked that cover right through the engine. Luckily the pilot was able to eject safely and was OK. In fact, he was able to maneuver his chute to land right in front of the Infirmary, so he didn’t have to walk very far to get checked out.
The lesson is to not build such frail airplanes
Not possible with all the high-tech junk they put into them.
It’s an F-35, not a Honda Accord....
The lesson is to not build such frail airplanes
Bung off the drum?
What kind of Air Farce....like a “Three Stoodges join the air force” episode.
Oh, just cap it. No problem.
Weakest link....our saving grace against a tyrannical government.
A paywall unfortunately
No paywall:
https://www.twz.com/air/dramatic-f-35-crash-at-alaskan-air-base-caused-by-iced-up-landing-gear
Damn you, ICE!
Here’s one:
https://www.twz.com/air/dramatic-f-35-crash-at-alaskan-air-base-caused-by-iced-up-landing-gear
well played!
“If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn’t the whole airplane made out of that stuff? ”
― George Carlin
I’d prefer a plane where what is effectively just a sensor misreading make the plan unflyable. Defer to the pilot - if he thinks he is flying, don’t override him and tell him he has landed.
F-35s are really starting to deploy widely into our Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
The Air Force continues to prioritize the F-35A, 797 F-35As had already been delivered.
The F-35C, designed for catapult launches and arrested landings, is now a staple aboard carriers like the USS George Washington. The Navy has received 183 F-35Cs.
As of early 2025, the U.S. Marine Corps has received:
—183 F-35Bs (Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing variant)
—52 F-35Cs (Carrier-capable CATOBAR variant)
That brings the total delivered USMC to 235 aircraft across both variants.
As of July 30, 2025, the U.S. military has received a total of 1,215 F-35s across all three variants.
Track down who left the barrel outside, and anybody who could have subsequently spotted the error.
What are the qualifications of maintenance personnel?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.