ROK officials told
the Yonhap news agency that the incident was caused by “avionic system issues,”
which caused the landing gear to malfunction. The landing gear did not extend, and the pilot
landed on a runway with the gear up.
A fire engine
used a special foam on the runway before the landing; officials said, “which
prevented the jet’s fuselage from sustaining any serious damage.” The full
scope of the damage has yet to be determined.
Around 1 p.m.
local time, the plane made an emergency landing at a ROK base in Seosan, about
70 kilometres from Osan Air Base. It is the first known instance of an F-35
belly landing since the United States began exporting the fifth-generation
fighter to partner nations. F-35, unlike 4th generation aircraft, lands
fast. The belly landing may cause damage beyond repair.
Officials in ROK
have reportedly announced that all of their air force’s F-35 fighters will be
grounded while investigating the emergency landing.
According to
news agency Nikkei, other incidents involving allies and partners in the F-35
programme have occurred, with members of the Japan Air Self-Defence Force
having to make at least seven emergency landings in F-35s. In April 2019, a
Japanese pilot was killed in a night-time crash into the ocean.
In November
2021, a British F-35B crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking
off an aircraft carrier. This particular accident is believed to have some
exceptions as the remaining aircraft is not grounded.
Pilots in the
United States Air Force have also faced difficulties. A pilot at Eglin Air
Force Base, Florida, crashed while landing in May 2020. An F-35A’s landing gear
collapsed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a month later.
In addition to
ROK and Japan, Australia, a US ally, operates F-35As in the Indo-Pacific, and
Singapore will receive F-35Bs beginning in 2026.