The landing gear of an F-35 jet collapsed after landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, according to the U.S Air Force.

The F-35 had just finished what the base described as a routine training flight.

According to a statement:

“The landing gear of an F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing collapsed today after landing on the runway here following a routine training flight. The pilot egressed the aircraft and is undergoing a routine medical evaluation.

In response to the incident, the runway is currently closed and aircraft from Hill AFB in flight at the time of the incident have been diverted to other airports. Additional training flights have been paused until the runway reopens. A formal safety review board will investigate the incident.”

The extent of the damage (and the subsequent cost) is currently unknown.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Steve R
Steve R
3 years ago

My first thought on reading the title of this post was “Oh, please not one of ours! We can’t afford to lose one this early!”

ChariotRider
ChariotRider
3 years ago
Reply to  Steve R

Me too…

Glad the pilot is OK.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
3 years ago
Reply to  Steve R

Ha! Me too Steve. Scrolled down and USAF. Relief!

Nigel Collins
Nigel Collins
3 years ago

I wonder if this was the cause?

“According to the documents, the concern is that a blown tire “will result in the loss of one or both hydraulic systems, which may degrade directional control during landing rollout and could lead to runway departure,” presenting a loss-of-aircraft risk.”

https://www.defensenews.com/smr/hidden-troubles-f35/2019/06/12/when-the-f-35-blows-a-tire-it-can-set-off-a-chain-reaction-of-potential-failures/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20documents%2C%20the,troubles%20of%20the%20F%2D35.

Stevo H
Stevo H
3 years ago

Good to hear that the pilot is well…….that’s the main thing. The aircraft? Of course we don’t want to hear that the F-35 has a defect but seeing that they are flying all over the World pretty much every day, I don’t have any concerns. Accidents happen in the aviation business and we learn from them to make things better and safer.
What I am expecting now is a tsunami of the critics saying “see, we told you that the F-35:was an absolute pile of junk etc……etc”
They’re just a bunch of brain dead morons…..

Aen Rabeon
Aen Rabeon
3 years ago

OMG! When will it ever be combat ready.