A video (see below) posted on social media this weekend shows the F-35 fighter jet that crashed on a US Navy aircraft carrier last month bursting into flames as it hit the deck of the massive battleship.
The F-35C, the newest fighter in the Navy’s fleet, is seen on a video monitor from inside the USS Carl Vinson, which was on operations in the South China Sea when the accident occurred on Jan.
The footage shows two angles of the incident from separate cameras and both show the jet approaching the aircraft carrier. In a close-up view, the plane hits the deck, bursts into flames, and then spins around in front of the camera in full frame.
The second angle captures the fighter in flames as it slides along the deck and falls into the water.
As the $100 million fighter jet approaches the ship, the crew can be heard yelling for the pilot to abort the landing attempt, accelerate and fly to try again. But the warning comes too late to prevent the accident.
“This is very, very scary,” said Peter Layton, a former officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. Layton noted that the F-35 appeared to have control problems on its approach to the carrier.
“While the aircraft is descending, the flaps are working overtime back and forth. It looks like the pilot has lost control and is experiencing oscillations,” he said.
He said the jet does not appear to be using the automatic landing system, digital controls that help limit the number of times the pilot must make corrections to get the plane safely on deck.
“It’s really smart software that connects the flight controls and throttles and also gives the pilot the option to monitor the system and adjust,” Layton said.
Yine düşen F-35’in görüntüsü sızdırılmış:)) ABD/İng uçak gemilerinde belli ki ciddi bir IKK sorunu var. Daha önce İngiliz gemisindeki kazayı çeken de tutuklanmıştı.
Diğer yandan bu kazada arıza veya pilotaj hatası (bilemen) ortadaki +’ya dikkat edin. Pilotun doğru iniş hattını+ pic.twitter.com/FgwN43ZF5s— Hakan KILIÇ (@hkilichsword) February 6, 2022
The US Navy confirmed the authenticity of the video to CNN, but has not yet disclosed the cause of the accident.
“We are aware that there has been an unauthorized release of video footage from the flight deck cameras aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) of the F-35C Lightning II crash that occurred on January 24 in the South Africa Sea. China. There is an ongoing investigation into the accident and the unauthorized release of onboard video footage,” the captain said. Zach Harrell, spokesman for the Naval Air Force Commander, in an email.
This video is the second unauthorized leak of the fall. Less than a week after the accident, a video of the approaching plane emerged.
Seven people were injured in the crash, including the pilot, who ejected from the plane, and another six aboard the carrier. The end of the video shows the crew responding to the incident within seconds, spraying the deck of the aircraft carrier with foam to prevent further damage.
Shortly after the accident, Navy officials described the damage to the Carl Vinson as superficial and said it quickly resumed normal operations. They also said efforts had begun to lift the fighter’s wreckage from the seafloor.
Analysts said rescuing the aircraft was likely to be a complex operation and one that should be monitored by China, which claims almost the entire region as its territory.
The F-35C contains some of the Navy’s most advanced technology, and analysts said Washington would like to keep it out of Beijing’s hands.
However, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware that a US Navy fighter jet had crashed at the scene, but “had no interest in its plane”.
“We advise [os EUA] to contribute more to regional peace and stability, rather than exerting force at every turn [no Mar do Sul da China]” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian.
Source: CNN Brasil
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