A U.S. F-35 pilot was ejected when his plane crashed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea, wounding seven, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement last Monday. CNN publication.
The pilot performed routine flight operations when the crash occurred. He was safely ejected and rescued by a military helicopter. The pilot’s condition is stable. Six others were injured on board. Three needed evacuation to a medical facility in Manila, Philippines, where they are in stable condition. The other three sailors were treated on and released on the spot.
The reason why the statement called a “flight malfunction” is under investigation. Japan’s 7th Navy spokesman Lt. Mark Langford said Tuesday that the damage to Vinson’s flight deck was “superficial” and that its warship and air wing had returned to normal operation.
As for the F-35, “the recovery status is in full swing,” Langford said. The crash is the first for the F-35C, the U.S. Navy’s version of the single-engine stealth aircraft, designed for off-aircraft operations. I will mention that a few weeks ago an F-35 plane crashed into the Mediterranean after failing to take off from a British aircraft carrier. It was then alleged that the fault was an engine cover that was not removed prior to take-off.
It is now alleged that the Americans are in pursuit of the Chinese, who will be able to pull the plane first from the seabed.