On January 24, 2022, an F-35C hit the back of the USS Carl Vinson while attempting to land. The pilot ejected, and debris from the crash injured seven crew members on the flight deck. The airplane was lost in the South China Sea near where the ship was operating.
A leaked video of the mishap taken from the carrier's stern shows that the weather was perfect for flight operations - sunny with calm seas. The F-35 appeared to be flying a normal Case I approach pattern, which would indicate the jet wasn't experiencing any sort of systems malfunctions.
So why did it crash? Veteran carrier pilots "Hozer" Miller (former F/A-18 squadron commanding officer and experienced Landing Signal Officer) and "Rowdy" Yates (F-14 Tomcat pilot and chief test pilot for the X-32 program) join Mooch to weigh-in with their thoughts based on current evidence and intel, including whether flight school is over-leveraged with the use of simulators instead of actual flights as a cost-saving measure.
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