Fired F-35 pilot speaks out

2023, an F-35 made the news when the pilot ejected from it in North Carolina and the plane flew pilotless for another 12 miles. You might be interested in the final outcome.

COL Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo was flying the fighter, familiarizing in preparation to take command of  VMX-1 squadron in Yuma, Arizona, starting to make an instruments-only landing in the midst of a raging storm.

“Contributing factors to the mishap included an electrical event during flight, which induced failures of both primary radios, the transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system; and the probability that the helmet-mounted display and panoramic cockpit display were not operational for at least three distinct periods,” the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) stated last year in a press release announcing the results of the third and final investigation into the incident. “This caused the pilot to become disoriented in challenging instrument and meteorological conditions.”

“The investigation concluded that the mishap occurred due to pilot error,” the release continued. “The pilot incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled flight emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit during a heavy rainstorm compounded with aircraft electrical and display malfunctions.”

Sounds damning…but note this was the third investigation into the same incident.  Now for Del Pizzo’s story, from an interview with “Post and Courier’s Tony Bareleme.

Del Pizzo said he had no choice but to eject. Starting suddenly shortly after 1:30 p.m., the helmet failed three times in 41 seconds, the now-retired Marine pilot stated.

At first, he said his helmet flickered, then “the visor erupted in flashes of alerts,” Bartelme wrote. “Failures in flight control systems, avionics, cooling, navigation, GPS, communications. Audio alerts sounded: whoop, whoop, whoop. Then the helmet and main displays went dark; the audio alerts stopped. About 15 seconds had passed.”

About 15 seconds later, the helmet failed for a second time as the jet was in clouds about 750 feet off the ground and descending in vertical mode at about 800 feet per minute. He opted to execute a “missed approach procedure” and get away from the ground.

Del Pizzo “pulled back the stick to climb, pushed the throttle forward for thrust,” Bartelme wrote. “Raised the landing gear. Pressed a button that converts the jet from vertical mode to conventional. Then the helmet display went dark again, as if rebooting. He tried to radio his wingman, the control tower. Nothing. Coms out. Then it flashed on, along with another thunderstorm of alerts, more than 25 messages telling him that the jet was in deep trouble and getting worse. Whoop, whoop, whoop.”

Just 11 seconds later, the equipment failed again, Del Pizzo stated to Bartelme.  The War Zone

Quick side note – this helmet is no ordinary helmet. Costs $400,000, has to be hand fitted in a two-day session,  and the pilot can’t gain weight or significantly alter his hair style.

The F-35 helmet is a technological marvel. It can display night vision, thermal imagery and video from below the jet, letting pilots effectively see through the airframe and track targets without having to look back and forth from their cockpit screens.

“The pilot can look down through a portion of their wing and see what’s below,” said Tech. Sgt. William Vass of the 419th OSS. “When they look toward the cameras embedded on the F-35, that image projects onto their helmet display.”   Task and Purpose

Very expensive, very touchy, and an integral part of the program. Back to Del Pizzo’s account:

“Instruments gone, a sea of gray outside his window. Is the plane responding? He pulled the throttle back. He glanced at the small backup panel between his legs. He heard what sounded like a motor spooling down. The engine? He felt the nose of the aircraft tilt upward. He felt a falling sensation. He still couldn’t see the ground. Was he still over the base? Over the trees?”

“Forty-one seconds. Decide, act: The jet’s going into the trees, and I’m going with it. In one quick motion, he reached between his legs for the yellow handle, put his left hand over his right wrist. And pulled.”  The War Zone

Two prior investigation cleared COL Del Pizzo. Why have a third?

Del Pizzo was injured by the ejection as shards of metal dug into his neck from the canopy blown open by explosives. He was hurt some more when his helmet and face mask were ripped off by the force of the wind. He also broke his back.The War Zone

Gonna make it tough to do any analysis on that Lamborghini helmet he was wearing.

Despite the two prior exonerating reviews, the Marines did a third investigation and relieved Del Pizzo of command last October, the usual “loss of confidence” reason. Based on the information presented in the article, my guess is that someone wanted to divert attention from an embarrassing equipment failure in the most expensive air procurement program in history. Read the War Zone article, see what you think.

Category: Marines, Pentagon, Science and Technology