South Korea Grounds F-35 Fleet After Emergency Belly Landing

The pilot did not eject during the incident, remaining in the aircraft to land it.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, January 05, 2022 at 01:40 PM ET

Verified

A Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A takes off July 20, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. [Courtesy: US Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) F-35 fighter jet made an emergency belly landing after its landing gear system malfunctioned.
The pilot successfully landed the aircraft "unscathed," despite most other systems (except flight controls and engine) having stopped working.
ROKAF has grounded its entire fleet of F-35s pending an investigation into the incident, which marks the first reported F-35 emergency landing in South Korea.

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The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) grounded its fleet of F-35s pending an investigation after one of its pilots was forced to make an emergency landing after the aircraft’s landing gear system malfunctioned, according to reports.

The pilot did not eject during the incident, remaining in the aircraft to land it. “All systems had stopped working except flight controls and the engine,” ROKAF vice chief of staff Shin Ok-chul said Wednesday, CBS News reported.