C-130/F-35 mid-air

[6trn4brn]

Everyone walked away, thankfully! I don't see a thread here about it, but hope one of the more experienced people can post photos, especially of the 130 landing in a field with one good engine!

From what I read, they were doing an aerial refuel. Somehow got tangled up. The F-35 pilot ejected and the 130 made a successful landing in a field.

[maradamx3]

Will be very interesting to find out how engines 1, 3, and 4 got damaged. Excellent job of the crew of the Herc getting it down with everyone surviving. Glad to hear the 35 pilot survived too.

[mazdaP5]

[sandiego89]

Will be very interesting to find out how engines 1, 3, and 4 got damaged. Excellent job of the crew of the Herc getting it down with everyone surviving. Glad to hear the 35 pilot survived too.

Agree a great outcome- could have been much worse. Seeing some early guesses that 3 & 4 were damaged with the mid-air, and 1 was damaged upon the forced landing, perhaps when the left refueling pod came detached upon touchdown. With props 3 & 4 shredded, the vibration must have been horrendous.

[Ken]

I’m a former long time Herk pilot. The Herk crew forums are saying that #’s 3 & 4 were lost in the collision and that #1 was damaged during the forced landing. As with all preliminary info, this may or may not be accurate, although it is corroborated by the ATC tapes. Just like many of you, I’ll be following this to learn the facts. Thankful that no lives were lost and no one appears the have suffered injury.

Ken

[Mick G]

What is the white thing on the outer wing

[DoraNineFan]

What is the white thing on the outer wing

I believe that's leaking fuel from the boom attachment. Messy cleanup for the landowner.

[RyanShort1]

What is the white thing on the outer wing

I believe that's leaking fuel from the boom attachment. Messy cleanup for the landowner.

Better than body parts, and war stories to tell.

[Bearcat SA]

I find it difficult to believe that any F-35 Joc could get it this wrong .. did something mechanical happen to the F-35 before the collision ?

[C VEICH]

There is video of the F-35 turning itself into a fireball out there as well. I think I came across it on FB but I don't remember where. I am sure a Google search would find something for those interested in seeing it. Granted, you can't see much other than a distant silhouette of the 35 lawn darting and then a rather large explosion. It will certainly be interesting to learn more about the accident and how it transpired.

[DoraNineFan]

There is video of the F-35 turning itself into a fireball out there as well. I think I came across it on FB but I don't remember where. I am sure a Google search would find something for those interested in seeing it. Granted, you can't see much other than a distant silhouette of the 35 lawn darting and then a rather large explosion. It will certainly be interesting to learn more about the accident and how it transpired.

The video is taken from a few hundred yards away in the open CA desert area. It just shows the smoking F-35 in a shallow descent to impact. It is hard to see any damage and to me it doesn't even look like a flat spin, just a shallow dive.

[leo]

Did it end up on it's belly or is the gear just sunk into the field? Can't see the gear doors clearly.

[Mark Allen M]

A 122 Million dollar mid-air. And to think my old man felt guilty belly landing a Corsair after an engine failure back in the 40’s.

Glad no lives lost.

[ZRX61]

If that C130 is repaired to flight status, the crew need to paint a F35 kill on the side...

[CAPFlyer]

Did it end up on it's belly or is the gear just sunk into the field? Can't see the gear doors clearly.

Most likely gear-up landing. There's not clear rutting behind the aircraft that would indicate the gear was down. While the C-130 gear is pretty good on unimproved surfaces, I would totally agree with the crew's decision considering the other issues and unknowns to just put the plane down with the gear up. Maximize that surface area to minimize the impact forces. Item I'm sure wasn't considered but will make the USMC and Navy happy - belly landing on dirt means less repair work.

I fully expect that C-130 to be back in service. The crew did an amazing job in a crappy situation and walked away. That's a good landing and a good day if I ever saw one.