A F-35 pilot from the US Air Force spent 50 minutes in a teleconference with Lockheed Martin engineers, according to CNN, as he attempted to resolve a serious problem that arose during flight. Eventually, the F-35 crashed in Alaska and the pilot managed to eject, according to the accident report released this week.
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The January 28 crash at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks was captured on video showing the fighter aircraft hitting the ground and creating a fireball after the explosion. The pilot ejected safely, sustaining only minor injuries, but the $200 million fighter aircraft was destroyed.
The crash investigation
The US Air Force investigation attributed the crash to ice in the hydraulic lines of the nose and main landing gear systems of the F-35. The fighter aircraft was flying out of control because it was “acting as if it was on the ground while in flight,” resulting in the pilot ejecting with his seat.
During inspection of the aircraft wreckage, it was found that approximately one-third of the fluid in the hydraulic systems of both the nose and right main landing gear was water, which should not have been the case. The investigation found a similar hydraulic ice problem in another F-35 at the same base during a flight nine days after the crash, but that particular aircraft landed without incident.
🚨 BREAKING: U.S. Air Force REVEALS Shocking Details of Jan. 28 F-35 Crash in Alaska 💥 pic.twitter.com/aQolSFqtMe
— Frontier Brief (@Frontierbrief) August 27, 2025
