F-35 Landed, _Then_ Crashed, Pilot Ejected

[BoilerDown]

https://twitter.com/houstonairw/status/1603469769407139842

Seems really weird. Like the throttle didn't work and maybe the pilot knows (speculating here) that ejecting cuts the engine? Because if the aircraft didn't settle right when it did he would have been at risk of being sucked into the engine via his parachute. And being run over. Or both.

A twitter comment says the F-35 can automatically eject the pilot on its own, as well. Not sure if true.

[Vulcan]

Maybe the plane was disgusted with his landing.

[Oldman731]

Maybe the plane was disgusted with his landing.

Maybe the pilot was thinking about the potential for a big fireball.

- oldman

[BoilerDown]

A little more info:

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pilot-ejects-from-f-35-at-fort-worth-joint-reserve-base/3149776

[DmonSlyr]

Maybe the pilot was thinking about the potential for a big fireball.

- oldman

Yeah that is what I am thinking too.

A little more info:

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pilot-ejects-from-f-35-at-fort-worth-joint-reserve-base/3149776

Interesting how the journalist wrote "the pilot was ejected." Not "the pilot ejected". Could be nothin, but it makes it sound like he didn't do it himself.

[100Coogn]

Interesting how the journalist wrote "the pilot was ejected." Not "the pilot ejected". Could be nothin, but it makes it sound like he didn't do it himself.

Yeah, I heard somebody report on the news today that there was some type of fail-safe that would automatically eject the pilot. 
I wouldn't hold a whole lot of faith on that one though.

Coogan

[Rocco]

F-35B has an auto ejection seat that triggers during a specific engine failure in hover mode. Guess it can pitch down so fast the pilot can't react in time to punch out. Kinda sounds like what happened.

It's interesting the pilot didn't eject until the second the aircraft was wings level. My guess is either the pilot or the auto eject was waiting until favourable ejection envelope.

[Maverick]

It's interesting the pilot didn't eject until the second the aircraft was wings level. My guess is either the pilot or the auto eject was waiting until favourable ejection envelope.

Watching the video yesterday that was my thought as well. I figured the onboard computer held the ejection until a survivable situation existed. I assumed it was pilot initiated but computer delayed.

[Puma44]

It's interesting the pilot didn't eject until the second the aircraft was wings level. My guess is either the pilot or the auto eject was waiting until favourable ejection envelope.

0 (altitude) / 0 (airspeed) ejection seats have been around for quite some time, with later ones with advanced gyro stabilization systems that get the escape vector going in a safe direction, so the pilot can eject in steep angles of bank and survive.  It’ll be interesting to see how this one is analyzed and presented after the fact.  I was feeling the need to reach for the handles when the nose pitched down and broke the nose gear off.  Additionally, it appears the descent rate was a tad high.  But, again, when the accident investigation report comes out, a lot of curious questions should be answered.

[fuzeman]

Who’s going to look into it?
Air Force of course but will the NTSB be involved?

[BoilerDown]

Who’s going to look into it?
Air Force of course but will the NTSB be involved?

From the link I posted earlier:

At the Pentagon, a spokesman said that the aircraft was being flown at the time of the crash by a U.S. government pilot, although it had not been transferred to the military yet by manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

So if it wasn't in the military's hands yet, I'd guess NTSB.

[Puma44]

Who’s going to look into it?
Air Force of course but will the NTSB be involved?

Each branch of the military has an accident investigation team.  Possibly Navy for this one?  All depends on who has operational control at the time of a crash.

On a military installation and no fatalities.  Most likely, no NTSB involvement.

[-gg-]

It's possible that the pilot became disabled from a vax injury. Maybe as he was landing he slumped forward on the controls and spun in.

[Tig]

Please tell me this is sarcasm. 
He made corrective inputs as best he could, and besides, the 35 has a side fly by wire stick like the F-16. It would have gone forward harder if he had "slumped forward on the controls."
That looks very much like a lift fan failure, the nose just dropped, it didn't accelerate forward.

[MiloMorai]

Please tell me this is sarcasm. 
He made corrective inputs as best he could, and besides, the 35 has a side fly by wire stick like the F-16. It would have gone forward harder if he had "slumped forward on the controls."
That looks very much like a lift fan failure, the nose just dropped, it didn't accelerate forward.

No just clueless.