Loss of an F35 fighter jet – The case for Human Factors Integration

|Publish Date: Jun 3, 2024|Keywords: Aviation, Contemporary EHF 2024, Defence, Human factors integration, Incidents, Investigation, Publications, Safety|

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 Author
Kevin Hayes & Daniel Boardman
Abstract
An F-35B Fighter Jet belonging to the Royal Air Force ditched in the Mediterranean Sea on 17 November 2021 during an aborted take-off from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (DSA, 2023). While the aircraft was recovered from a depth of two kilometres, all components were found to be beyond economic repair and the airframe was deemed a total loss. The subsequent safety investigation conducted by the Defence Safety Authority determined the causal factor to be that the left intake blank was at the front face of the engine compressor during the aircraft launch. This paper sets out the latent issues with the design of the intake blank and how they combined with a number of local and organisational Human Factor issues to create the conditions in which this accident occurred.