Navy Says It Will Recover F-35 Lost at Sea in Crash on Carl Vinson; Flight Operations Resume

By Andrew Dyer

Source The San Diego Union-Tribune (TNS)

Jan. 26, 2022

2 min read

The U.S. Navy will recover an F-35C fighter from the bottom of the South China Sea after it crashed into the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson Monday, the Navy said.

The jet, which has the military's latest stealth and electronic warfare hardware on board, went overboard Monday after the pilot crashed while landing and ejected from the jet, Lt. Mark Langford, a 7th Fleet spokesperson, said in an email.

Seven sailors were injured, including the pilot, Langford said. The pilot and two other sailors were flown to a hospital in Manila, Philippines, while four received medical care on the ship. All are in stable condition or have recovered, Langford said.

Damage to the ship's flight deck was "superficial," Langford said, and flight operations resumed Tuesday.

The Carl Vinson, which is based in San Diego, left its berth at the North Island air station in August for a scheduled deployment. It was the first carrier to deploy with the Navy's newest jet fighter, the F-35C Lightning II.

The Vinson has been conducting operations with its sister San Diego carrier, The Abraham Lincoln, in the South China Sea, according to the Navy. The Lincoln, which left San Diego last month, is the first carrier to deploy with Marine Corps F-35Cs.

Langford did not say when the Navy expects to salvage the jet but that the arrangements are being made.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.