[richy_dong]

Should've stayed with the aircraft in hind sight. I bet that landing broke his legs

[Ferocity]

Oh shit indeed.

[kellyhound]

Lockheed Martin, in a statement, acknowledged the crash and emphasized that safety is their priority, indicating that an appropriate investigation protocol will be followed. The public affairs officer at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base directed further inquiries to Lockheed Martin.

The official investigation, as reported by the F-35 Joint Program Office, identified the cause as a harmonic resonance issue in the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine.

This issue led to excessive vibrations during the vertical landing, which likely destabilized the aircraft’s control systems, causing the crash.

The resonance was described as a “rare system phenomenon,” prompting inspections across the F-35 fleet.

This issue led to a temporary grounding of some F-35 models and a pause in deliveries until mitigation measures were implemented by Pratt & Whitney. Deliveries resumed in March 2023 after the engine issue was addressed.

[wildaxboxer]

Haggle room for customer

[KillingJoke]

Hmmm... He was waiting for a signed invitation to eject...

No fire, seems like he could have stayed with the aircraft, since he got it stable before ejecting...

Ever see Neil Armstrong eject from that NASA LEM testbed? He was like "fuck this" and was out the moment it was unstable...