The Lockheed Martin-owned F-35B was seen hovering before it dropped and hit the ground hard, resulting in the pilot ejecting.
Details are still coming in, but a Lockheed Martin-owned F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has ended up nose-down off the side of the runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas after a mishap earlier today. Local first responders say the aircraft's pilot ejected safely during the incident, which comes on the anniversary of the F-35's first flight in 2006.
While the exact circumstances of the mishap remain unclear, video has emerged, seen below, showing the F-35B in hover when it begins to drop vertically. After initially touching down, the jet then bounces back up into the air, and then comes down again nose first hitting the runway hard. The nose gear is seen breaking off entirely before the aircraft spins onto the grass, at which point the pilot ejects. It is worth pointing out that this was a demonstration of the so-called "zero-zero" capabilities of the jet's Martin-Baker US16E ejection seat, with it safely functioning with aircraft on the ground and essentially stopped.
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