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

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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:

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) grounded its entire F-35 fleet after one of its F-35A stealth fighters made an emergency "belly landing" due to a landing gear malfunction.
The pilot successfully landed the aircraft at Seosan Air Base without ejecting, despite most systems failing except flight controls and the engine, and was unharmed.
This incident, the first reported emergency landing of an F-35 in South Korea, has prompted an investigation into the cause.

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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.