Leap Year funny way to park an F-35
Well, I’m not sure who to hang this on, the Marines or the Navy. Pretty interesting, though.
A Marine Corps jet on loan to the Navy for its Top Gun school took a nosedive last month while in a hangar at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, the Corps told Military.com on Friday.
That isn’t necessarily a big deal, one would think… but the devil is in the details.
An image of the jet, an F-35C Lightning II, was posted on social media earlier this month showing it face-planted onto the concrete in a hangar. Military.com reached out to 3rd Marine Air Wing, or 3rd MAW, the unit that owns the roughly $100 million fifth-generation fighter jet, last week asking to confirm the incident.
A spokesperson for 3rd MAW, Capt. Stephanie Leguizamon, said that the nose gear of the F-35 “collapsed” following shutdown procedures on the flight line at the naval air station. The jet was parked when it collapsed on Jan. 26, she said.
a PARKED jet?
Pretty sure we all thought the bar had been set pretty high last year when the Marine F-35 wandered off on its own in South Carolina and flew, what, 50 some miles before crashing. After all, it was already in the air and once they go up – well, you know the rest of THAT cliche.
Should note that while being towed in Japan last year that an F-35 had a similar nose gear collapse (see above). Once is a funny accident. Twice? Someone oughta take notice.
Did she arc her back?
This might be a dumb grunt question, but why is the USMC loaning jets to the Navy? Do pilots bring their own aircraft to the Top Gun school?
You should see some of the toys the students at Navy Test Pilot School get to play with. We were returning to Pax River from the Atlantic Test Range and were number two in the pattern.
Behind a TPS-leased MiG-21.
ARMY EOD school has a nice AIR FORCE collection so they can teach boom pins and bang seats in the inventory.
Those mechanics should nose around the aircraft to make sure that everything is jake unless they don’t nose the procedures of how to do it. Put your noses to the grindstone to make sure everything is AJ Squared away.
Missed oportunity?
Marine Corps Aviators and Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) routinely attend TOP GUN as students. When they’re sent to attend the school, the Marine Corps will also send their respective Type/Model/Series (T/M/S) aircraft there for them to fly during their training.
Not sure what the current aircraft to student ratio is at TOP GUN, but I’ll bet that it’s greater than 1:1 in order to account for maintenance availability during the course. Wouldn’t want a student to miss a training event due to a “down” aircraft.
Gotta have backup just in case someone goes into a “flat spin headed out to sea.”
When Marine Corps pilots attend Top Gun, the squadron that sent them is on the hook for not only providing an aircraft or two or three, but a small contingent of aircraft maintenance Marines as well.
Even worse is when pilots attend the Marine Corps’ Weapons and Tactics Instructor course (WTI) in Yuma. The toll for sending maintainers is pretty steep. When I was the Aircraft Maintenance Chief at a Beaufort, SC F/A-18 squadron, the CO decided to send several pilots to WTI; our squadron’s maintenance department in Beaufort was reduced to a mere shell of itself during that WTI. I tried to warn them…
Bring back the F-14!
Maverick, Goose, Iceman and Slider, baby!
https://images.app.goo.gl/X4jcwq4aPUwzk5Et6
The -35’s ability to take a nap anywhere has this Grunt jealous.
Maybe the Napping II is part cat?
Warning: dumb music, dumber kittens, “The only good cat is a stir-fried cat.” —ALF
Me before I was issued a CPAP.
Edited.
AW1
There is more than one way to skin a cat, but only two ways to stir fry them.
Lockheed Martin will be happy to correct that non-conforming issue for $87,000,000,000.
Video of the old towing incident:
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5666290950113625&id=104563622953080&m_entstream_source=permalink&paipv=0&eav=AfbOvJIpiiJfE2fggchR8AeuHUVDp_3ixxNdYECjrS1GWsUeZqk6e4OefyPMMmX-CF8&_rdr
Love to read who gonna pay for this report.
The hydraulics don’t work if the engine is off, ground crew is supposed to place a ball lock pin in the landing gear before she turned off.
That sounds painful.
And a better design couldn’t fix this why?
So “gear down and locked” ain’t exactly factual? And does that mechanic get hazardous duty pay for crawling under an aircraft that seems to have a predeliction for occasional nose gear collapse?
Don’t worry, they use only the best lift blocks from Harbor Freight.
“Nose Landing Gear Down-Lock Pin”. I believe it’s called.
Top Gun? It’s too easy…
Damn alcoholic airplanes…
Maybe Wittgenfeld was in the area?
Downward dog position? Crouching to “leap” into a danger zone? Somebody’s goose is gonna get cooked over this.
In unrelated good news for the Leap Year, Krispy Kreme is offering a dozen glazed for $2.29. If today is your birthday you can get a dozen free. Too bad that my Sister-in-Law up in Dakota Territory doesn’t have one close by. Happy Birthday, Linda!
This Mama Bear and her cub must be part cop…
https://www.kotatv.com/video/2023/09/15/bears-raid-krispy-kreme-delivery-van-feast-doughnuts/
The puppy needs help…
That’ll buff right out!
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he’s got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
It looks like the E-4 Mafia needed some spare parts.
Simple fix:
Follow the T/M/S aircraft NATOPS checklists in close detail, step-by-step, for every evolution, EVERY DAMN TIME, and this kind of stupid shit will be easily prevented.
Not sure why we have to keep re-learning this simple lesson over, and over, and over again in Naval Aviation. Very frustrating to watch.
I’d like to see the AIB. I agree with you concerning lessons forgotten vice lessons learned. I know of one USAF Class-A mishap where the causal factor was found to be inadequate NATOPS (or AF equivalent) No one hurt but over a Million in damage.
I got the privilege of being the “impound” official for all the data involving the aircrew.
Maybe the turddy-fife hit a drone?:
Dodging and evading drones would be a good skill for our military pilots. Ukrainian drone operators are working to figure out how to use their drones to down Russian aircraft. So this is a challenge that military pilots may have to face in the future.
I thought an armored cavalry trooper must have walked in front of it, thus causing it to take a bow, but apparently it’s a maintenance issue
F-35 “Hey a quarter!”
(muffled voice)
“Owww, my nose!”
yup
YouTube channel, Habitual Linecrosser, does video shorts where he puts eyes and mouth on military aircraft, tanks, ships and on countries. In this video, the F-35 is put in the hot seat: