The UK Royal Air Force's $115 million F-35B Lightning II crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on take-off from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth due to a blank stuck in the air intake

The air intake in the F-35B Lightning II is protected from foreign objects by a blank. However, it became a foreign object itself and led to the British Royal Air Force losing its fifth-generation fighter.

Here's What We Know

The incident involving the British F-35B occurred in the Mediterranean Sea almost two years ago. The aircraft crashed as a result of a failed attempt to take off from the UK Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. Below you can see a sonar image of the fighter jet lying upside down on the seabed.

The UK Ministry of Defence published a 148-page report. The text states that the immediate cause of the F-35B (ZM152) crash was an air intake blank hitting the air intake itself. British authorities said this as early as last year.

The blank getting stuck in the air intake resulted in reduced air supply. Because of this, the F135's engine was unable to provide enough power for takeoff. More precisely, the thrust was reduced by 17% - from 17.2 tonnes to 14 tonnes.

When the pilot realised the power was not enough, he made the decision to abort the flight. However, the F-35B had already reached the ramp. The momentum was enough for the fighter jet to overcome the ramp. The pilot then ejected and the aircraft went down in the water. A lucky wind paired with the movement of the aircraft carrier resulted in the pilot ending up on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth.

As for the F-35B Lightning II, it remained afloat alongside the ship for some time. Eventually, the fifth-generation fighter jet worth more than $100 million sank in the Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft flipped over and sank to a depth of about 3 kilometres. The irony of the story is that the water flow knocked the blank out of the air intake.

The blank and wreckage of the aircraft managed to be recovered to the surface within a month of the incident. The procedure cost the UK Royal Air Force more than $3 million.

Source: The War Zone