Air Combat Command has recently released the findings of the accident investigation board report concerning the F-35A crash that occurred on October 19, 2022, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The report sheds light on the chain of events that led to the incident, resulting in the loss of a $166.3 million aircraft.
The mishap unfolded during a routine four-ship formation flight returning from a training event in the Utah Test and Training Range airspace. As the pilot of the F-35A, belonging to the 388th Fighter Wing, was on the final approach to land at Hill AFB, he experienced a slight rumbling caused by wake turbulence from the preceding aircraft. This atmospheric disturbance led to erratic inputs in the aircraft’s air data application (ADA).
As a consequence, the ADA produced erroneous outputs, resulting in the aircraft’s flight controls not responding correctly to the actual current conditions of the F-35A. Even the manual flight controls failed to react appropriately to the pilot’s inputs. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the pilot attempted to regain control by selecting full afterburner power. However, due to the low altitude, low airspeed, and sideslip flight path, the pilot’s efforts proved futile, leading to the ultimate decision to eject.
Fortunately, the pilot safely ejected and suffered only minor injuries. However, the aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact.
Upon investigation, the accident board identified that the root cause of the mishap was attributed to air data system errors occurring just before landing. These errors caused the F-35A to lose controlled flight, leaving the pilot with no opportunity to recover.
In addition to the system errors, the investigation also found a significant contributing factor to be the pilot’s failure to adhere to wake turbulence procedures. They did not increase the landing spacing from the preceding aircraft, as required, leading to the destabilizing turbulence that initiated the chain of events.
The debris from the crashed F-35A scattered across the airfield boundaries, with parts of the cockpit, canopy, and ejection seat landing just outside the fence line.
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