F-35 crash in Alaska: 50-minute mid-air call, frozen hydraulics, and a destroyed jet
A US Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base after a 50-minute mid-air call with engineers failed to fix landing gear frozen by water-contaminated hydraulic fluid. The pilot ejected and survived with minor injuries. A 39-page report cites maintenance and decision-making factors, and notes a similar issue on another jet days later that ended safely.