Earlier this week, the US Navy reported its first F35C crash at sea. The plane crashed onto the deck of USS Carl Vinson, an air carrier. The jet had crashed while attempting to make a landing. Seven crew members sustained injuries in the crash.
The incident took place while the F35C was in South China Sea. The F35C was in routine flight operations when it crashed. It was recovered by a remotely operated vehicle called the CURV-21.
The CURV-21 attached special rigging to this plane. It also attached lift cables to the aircraft. The CURV-21 also helped salvage the aircraft from the ocean floor. It has recovered aircraft in the past from very deep waters.
Engineers are currently making preparations for recovering the F35C. Ultra Deep Solutions, a Singapore-based company, has been hired by the US Navy to complete this task. The process of salvaging the aircraft depends on its depth. It will take around 120 days. Although there are no plans for the aircraft to be moved to a specific spot, it is possible that China will observe the operation.
The Navy reported that the aircraft had been recovered from an approximate depth of 12,400 feet. The aircraft suffered damage to its rear fuselage, and the S9 skin was punctured. The flames also burned the tail of the plane. The pilot was ejected safely. There are still not many details about the accident. However, it is possible the pilot's plane was microburst off of the deck.
Social media shared a video of the F35C approaching and colliding with the carrier. This footage was apparently captured on camera by one of the crew members of the carrier. The video became viral in China and elsewhere on social media. However, there was some controversy over the validity of the video.
The carrier's senior chief said the video was circulated inside a smokepit. He claimed that the senior yeoman on board, a Capt. Scott Miller had also told his crew that the video should be removed.
It is unclear if the video was an official record or just a rumor. It seems that the video was distributed by five officers and a few Navy personnel. The video may also have been leaked without proper clearance, according to some reports.
The F35C is the best stealth fighter in the world. It is a member US Navy’s “Argonauts” and belongs Strike Fighter Squadron 147. It's also the newest jet in the Navy's fleet. Although the aircraft is only capable of flying for 12 days per year, it's expected that it will be able fly longer. It's also been claimed that the aircraft could have suffered power degradation.
The Navy has also spent the last month preparing for the recovery of the F35C. The Navy has also acquired specialized salvage equipment. The salvage operation should take 10 to 15 working days depending on the depth.
The Navy still has a lot of information to gather about the accident. The aircraft was assigned by the Strike Fighter Squadron 147. This was the first US Marine Corps unit with a F-35C to deploy on an aircraft carrier. This was the first occasion that an aircraft US Navy carrier-based crashed while being deployed offshore.