South Korea Looks to Repair F-35 that Crashed Due to a Bird Strike
You would think the landing gear would be a bit more robust to withstand a bird strike:
A collision with an eagle caused a South Korean F-35A Lightning II fighter to crash last year, and talks are underway with the manufacturer over scrapping or repairing the stealth aircraft, the South Korean air force said Tuesday.
An investigation determined the bird struck the F-35A’s landing gear, which failed, forcing the pilot to make an emergency belly landing Jan. 4, 2022, at a South Korean air force base in Seosan, about 50 miles southwest of Seoul, according to an air force email Tuesday.
The pilot exited the plane without serious injuries, according to the air force.
South Korea’s air force and Lockheed Martin, the F-35 manufacturer, assessed the damaged aircraft to determine whether repairs would prove too costly or compromise the fighter’s safe operation.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but the ROK bought 40 F-35A’s at $175 million a piece.
The F-35A in question didn’t have its landing gear hit by the bird, because the landing gear was retracted at that time.
The bird got sucked into the jet intake and impacted one of the bulkheads which in turn damaged the electrical and hydraulic systems leading to serious system failure including but not limited to the landing gear being unable to be extended.
Aircraft structures to keep weight down are also not that strong, when it comes to high speed impacts.
A former Huey pilot once told me that the skin of a Huey looked like a couple of aluminum sheets laminated together. According to him, if one used a bit of force, one could poke a pencil through it.
As for the aircraft, it seems the ROKAF is looking into scrapping it because the estimated repair cost is almost the same as buying a new aircraft.
The US is seriously overcharging for the repair bills, it’s ridiculous that their fighter jet programs are run just like their car companies – ripping off their customers with unreliable cars with beast engines and then overcharging the consumers with outrageous repair bills. This is why South Korea decided to make its own fighter jets, instead of relying on a cartel industry that’s designed to monopolize the market.
The F35 is a McCain legacy.
FWIW, bird strikes are very dangerous…they’ll take out even an AWACS (4 engine plane).
Often installation commanders will have a person in charge of shooting birds that flock around the runways.
Landing any plane with the gear up, whether struck by a bird or not, will result in expensive repairs.
We can all be grateful the pilot is okay.
However, repairing a crashed F-35A is probably more expensive than repairing a Cessna 182. Thus, in the future, I recommend not flying around giant, inimical birds.
I find it problematic that everyone is focused on the plane while little attention is given to the birds.
Let’s listen to their demands and do what it takes to get them back to work.