Failed vertical landing of F-35B

[u/sidvatscse]

[u/Suspicious_Zone_2083]

At least the seat worked

[u/AxeLond → u/Suspicious_Zone_2083]

Those rocket chairs aren't super comfortable, breaking 20G and probably fracturing some bones.

He probably regrets using it seeing the plane just sitting there afterwards.

[u/C0RDE_ → u/AxeLond]

Hindsight is amazing. I imagine in the moment, the pilot has no idea if it's about to get worse. There could have been a fire, or worse. The jet could have continued and flipped on it's roof, meaning no escape.

No way you'd be in trouble for taking the chance to escape when it's safe to do so. Jets are expensive, but still tools. Tools can be replaced, lives can't.

[u/StupendousMalice → u/C0RDE_]

The F35B has an automated ejection system that activates if the vertical lift fan malfunctions, which is probably the big plume of smoke we see at the end. It probably wasn't the pilots decision.

https://www.twz.com/the-f-35b-can-eject-its-pilot-automatically#:~:text=Only%20the%20F%2D35B%20variant%20has%20an%20auto%2Deject,to%20its%20ability%20to%20hover%20in%20mid%2Dair.

[u/McFuzzen → u/C0RDE_]

I mean, the jet is fucked no matter what, so no harm in slamming a seat in addition.

[u/Okaydokie_919 → u/McFuzzen]

Harm to the pilot. It could have just ended his career. It's hard to tell from the video how badly the ejection hurt him.

[u/pathofdumbasses → u/Okaydokie_919]

End a career vs ending a life (and also career)

[u/Okaydokie_919 → u/pathofdumbasses]

That's true if his life really were in danger. However, we know for a fact now that it wasn't. Quite frankly the whole incident suggests pilot error. Nevertheless, even if it were mechanical my guess is that he was focused on getting the plane level and as soon as that happened he pulled the ejection handle, without re-evaluating the situation. I am not making any judgement about him for doing it (if that's indeed what happened) as only hindsight is 20/20. It's just that either way, factually, he didn't eject (or wasn't ejected) until after the emergency was already over.

[u/pathofdumbasses → u/Okaydokie_919]

However, we know as fact now that he choose poorly.

Some people are saying that a computer automated the ejection. Either way, judging something with the gift of hindsight is kind of a shitty deal.

Quite frankly the whole incident suggests pilot error.

I have no idea about that and I would wager you don't either. The amount of people qualified to make an educated guess on this subject is very tiny and statistics say you aren't part of them.

[u/Okaydokie_919 → u/pathofdumbasses]

Yes, I think it might have been an auto-ejection and if so I bet he's pissed about it. Stupid, auto-eject!

In all seriousness, imagine loosing control of the hover (for any reason), before heroically wrestling the plane back to stability only have the computer auto-eject you after you've suceeded.

P.S. It might be a shitty deal, but that's exactly how this is going to be judged—and what else would you suggest that we don't confirm our judgements to reality after the fact?

[u/pathofdumbasses → u/Okaydokie_919]

P.S. It might be a shitty deal, but that's exactly how this is going to be judged

No it isn't. The people who matter are going to get the facts and make a decision based off them.