An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, had a landing mishap on the deck while US Navy’s Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) was conducting routine flight operations in the South China Sea.
As informed, the accident happened on 24 January. The pilot, who is in a stable condition, safely ejected from the aircraft and was recovered via a US military helicopter, according to the navy statement.
Seven crew members were reported injured, while three of them required medical evacuation to a hospital in Manila, Philippines. The other four were treated by medical personnel onboard the ship, according to the navy.
“Additional details and cause of the inflight mishap is under investigation,” the US Navy added in a statement.
The US Navy’s carrier-based, fifth-generation fighter F-35C Lightning II achieved initial operational capability in 2019.
The F-35C Lightning II is the US Navy’s first low-observable carrier-based aviation platform. It is being purchased to replace the F/A-18C/D Hornet as the carrier strike group’s primary offensive fighter for aerial defense and close air support.
Following an intense four-year competition, the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 26 October 2001, named the Lockheed Martin lead Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team as the winner of the contract to develop the F-35Cs.
USS Carl Vinson, which deployed with F-35Cs for the first time last summer, conducted joint expeditionary strike force training operations with Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESX ARG) in the South China Sea to strengthen naval readiness and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region.