An F-35 Lightning II fighter jet that went down at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks in January crashed after attempts to fix frozen landing gear left the plane uncontrollable, according to an Air Force report.
A panel of experts said water-contaminated hydraulic fluid caused the ice buildup. Their report on the crash was issued Tuesday by Eielson's higher headquarters, the Pacific Air Forces.
The pilot of the F-35 in the Jan. 28 incident ejected, sustaining minor injuries just before the plane crashed on base near the main runway. The aircraft was one of four that took off that day on a routine training mission.
The 39-page report prepared by a five-member Air Force Accident Investigation Team says the F-35, valued at $196.5 million, was a total loss.
Both the plane and its pilot were assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing and operated by Eielson's 355th Fighter Squadron.
Problems began in nose landing gear
The report says the ice buildup initially caused a malfunction in the F-35's nose landing gear. The nose wheel wouldn't fully retract after takeoff, and wouldn't fully extend when deployed. It also was tilted slightly to the left.
The pilot informed personnel in the air-traffic control tower, who couldn't solve the problem. They in turn convened an emergency conference call with engineers from Lockheed Martin, the aircraft's manufacturer.
After 50 minutes of discussion, the engineers recommended the pilot conduct two touch-and-go landings, in which the plane touches down on the runway before immediately taking back off.
But that didn't solve the problem. Instead, the aircraft's main landing gear began to malfunction. That in turn led the F-35's flight-control systems to respond as if the plane was on the runway. And that prevented the pilot from being able to control the plane, leading to his decision to eject.
'A challenging situation'
The investigation report said all personnel involved in the mishap responded well to "a challenging situation that had not been seen in the F-35 fleet previously."
Temperatures around Eielson that day hovered right around zero degrees Fahrenheit.
But the report also cited problems with maintenance procedures and storage of hazardous materials, including hydraulic fluid.
Eielson officials declined requests for an interview on the report. A base spokesperson said in an email that the investigation suggests the F-35 may have gotten water-contaminated hydraulic fluid from a container at an air base in Okinawa.
"The investigation suggests a unique combination of circumstances specific to this situation, and does not indicate a systemic issue within the broader F-35A fleet or other aircraft types," the spokesperson said.
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