Pilot error blamed for $112M F-35 stealth fighter jet crash on USS Carl Vinson trends now
A catastrophic fighter jet crash aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier was caused when the bungling pilot attempted a 'show of force' maneuver which went disastrously wrong, a Navy investigation has found.
The incident happened on January 24 last year when a F-35C worth $115 million smashed into the USS Carl Vinson during operations in the South China Sea.
The pilot, who is still a serving Navy officer but not longer has 'flying status', ejected before the plane collided with the runway, causing millions of dollars in damage to the aircraft carrier and at least one other plane. The F-35C tumbled into the ocean and was recovered months later from a depth of 12,400 feet.
The pilot and at least five other individuals were injured. Leaked footage captured the dramatic crash and triggered a separate inquiry into who shared the video.
A Navy probe has now concluded the incident was caused by pilot error after the unnamed lieutenant in the cockpit attempted a 'expedited recovery maneuver', also known as the 'Sierra Hotel Break'.
A photo also emerged of the jet after it fell into the South China Sea. It sank to a depth of about 12,400ft and was recovered several weeks later
The USS Carl Vinson is seen with the USS Essex behind in a January 2022 picture
The report into the incident, obtained by military.com, describes an SHB as 'when an aircraft initiates a turn to downwind from either behind the ship or over the top of the ship … [using] G-forces to decelerate over the course of a 360-degree turn, dropping the landing gear when the aircraft is below landing gear transition speed'.
Former Navy pilots have described the move as a 'real loud show of force'.
Commander Guy Snodgrass said in 2020: 'You go screaming over the aircraft carrier, and then, right as you reach the end of it, that's when you peel away and come around to land.'
According to the report into the crash, the pilot had seen other junior officers perform the maneuver and 'wanted to attempt it before the end of deployment'.
But the
