Bird Strike Blamed For F-35 Belly Landing In South Korea

An additional probe into the landing gear malfunction that prompted the stealth fighter's emergency landing is planned, according to reports.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 06:16 PM ET

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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 South Korean F-35 stealth fighter performed an emergency belly landing after a bird strike on its engine caused the landing gear and other electronic systems to malfunction.
The pilot successfully landed the aircraft without ejecting, despite most systems failing, and survived the incident "unscathed."
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) grounded its entire fleet of F-35s following the incident, with U.S. experts joining the investigation into the system failures.

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A South Korean F-35 was forced into an emergency belly landing earlier this month after a bird strike on its engine, according to reports.

The findings, released late last week, offer a preliminary explanation of what caused the January 4 incident that prompted the fighter jet’s emergency landing after the aircraft’s landing gear system malfunctioned. Immediately afterward, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) grounded its fleet of F-35s pending an investigation.