VIDEO: US Air Force F-35 Pilot Held 50-Minute Airborne Conference Call With Engineers Before Jet Nosedived

Washington DC: A US Air Force pilot of an F-35 stealth aircraft was forced to eject from the fighter jet after an hour on a conference call with Lockheed Martin engineers mid-air. After the pilot ejected from the aircraft, it nosedived and crashed in Alaska earlier this year. However, the report was released this week.

The incident took place on January 28 this year at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks. The video of the crash also surfaced online. The footage shows the aircraft nosediving and exploding after hitting the ground.

The pilot sustained minor injuries. The jet was destroyed. An investigation was launched into the crash. According to the probe, ice in the hydraulic lines in the nose and main landing gears of the F-35 prevented it from deploying effectively, reported CNN.

Video Of The Incident:

The pilot reportedly tried to retract the landing gear, but he failed. When the pilot tried to lower the aircraft again, it locked at an angle to the left. However, the process to fix the landing led to the crash.

The pilot was in a conference call with engineers as the plane flew near the air base. As per the report, they tried to land the aircraft twice to try to straighten the jammed nose gear. However, the gear could not be recentered. The attempt resulted in both the left and right main landing gears freezing up, reported CNN.

The censors of the plane then gave an indication that it was on the ground, and the fighter jet's computeraised system reportedly moved to “automated ground-operation mode". It made the plane uncontrollable and forced the pilot to eject.