US accident report finds F-35 crash caused by contaminated hydraulic fluid

WASHINGTON

Ice in hydraulic fluid lines in the nose and main landing gears of an F-35A fighter jet caused the aircraft to crash at an air base outside Fairbanks, Alaska, earlier this year, said a recently published report.

The Jan. 28 crash was recorded on bystander video that showed the fifth-generation stealth fighter falling to the ground from hundreds of feet in the air before it erupted in a massive fireball at Eielson Air Force Base.

The pilot had earlier run multiple checks and held a lengthy 50-minute conference call with Lockheed Martin engineers while in the air in an attempt to center the stuck landing gear on the nose of the aircraft, according to the aircraft accident report from Pacific Air Forces released Aug. 25.

Ice had formed on the nose landing gear's strut, and during two attempts to execute two "touch-and-go" landings in which the plane briefly lands, ice formed on the right and left landing gear struts, preventing them from retracting as well.

With all three landing gears stuck, the plane mistakenly believed it was on the ground, making the plane uncontrollable. The pilot safely ejected and suffered only minor injuries. Emergency crews were on the scene within one minute.

The F-35A is one of the most expensive aircraft in the world, costing more than $100 million per plane, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation non-profit.