F-35 landing gear collapses after landing at Hill

An F-35A Lightning II taxis during sunset for a night flying operations at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Aug. 20, 2019. Night flying is required for pilots to sharpen their combat skills and maintainers work around the clock to prepare jets for flight, inspect them after flight and get them ready for the next flying day. The 388th Fighter Wing is the Air Force’s first combat-coded F-35A wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw)

The landing gear of an F-35 fighter collapsed after landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah Monday, the base said in a statement.

The F-35, assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing, had just finished what the base described as a routine training flight. The pilot left the aircraft and is having a routine medical evaluation, the base said.

Hill’s runway is now closed as a result of the landing gear collapse, and other Hill aircraft that were still in the air at the time have been diverted to other airports.

Other training flights are now paused until the runway reopens, Hill said.

A safety review board will investigate the incident, Hill said.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.