Accident Summary
On the night of 19 May 2020 at 2126 local time, an F-35A Lightning II aircraft (tail number 12-005053) crashed on runway 30 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The aircraft was operated by the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Operations Group, assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing. The mishap pilot ejected safely and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The aircraft, valued at $175,983,949, rolled, caught fire, and was completely destroyed.
Sequence of Events
The pilot set and maintained 202 knots calibrated airspeed throughout the approach and landing. The aircraft touched down approximately 50 knots faster than the intended speed and at an angle of attack of 5.2 degrees, which was about 8 degrees shallower than the desired landing attitude. The landing sequence lasted approximately five seconds before the pilot ejected.
Immediately after the main landing gear contacted the runway, the nose of the aircraft pitched down rapidly, causing the nose gear to strike the runway. The aircraft then experienced a significant nose-high bounce. Following the initial bounce, the pilot made stick inputs that initially appeared to aim at recovering and setting a landing attitude. However, the stick inputs quickly fell out of sync with the aircraft's pitch oscillations and control cycles. Two seconds after touchdown, the pilot applied and held full aft stick, which would normally raise the nose. About one second later, the pilot also commanded full afterburner. These actions are consistent with an attempt to establish a takeoff attitude for a go-around. Despite the aft stick input, the horizontal stabilizers remained in full downward deflection, tending to keep the nose down. After multiple progressively worsening bounces and an unsuccessful go-around attempt, the pilot released the stick and ejected.
Investigation Findings
The Accident Investigation Board president determined, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the mishap was caused by two factors: first, the aircraft touching down at 202 knots calibrated airspeed; and second, the aircraft's flight control surfaces, specifically the tail, conflicting with the pilot's inputs upon landing, resulting in the pilot's inability to recover from the aircraft oscillation. The board president also identified four substantially contributing factors: the pilot landed with Speed Hold engaged and using an alternate crosscheck method; the pilot's Helmet Mounted Display misalignment distracted him during a critical phase of flight; the pilot experienced cognitive degradation due to fatigue; and the pilot lacked systems knowledge regarding flight control logic.