An F-35A suffered a “significant fire” Monday prior to liftoff, according to an Air Force spokeswoman, just weeks before the fifth generation jet’s debut at a major air show.
The ground emergency took place at 10:15 a.m. EST, Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Hope Cronin said, as a pilot was getting ready to take off. Cronin said in a statement the aircraft was preparing to conduct a continuation training mission at the time of the incident, but aborted during takeoff at Eglin AFB, Fla., due to a fire in the back end of the aircraft. The pilot egressed safely, she said.
The cause of the incident is under investigation and additional details will be provided as they become available, Cronin said. The F-35A is the Air Force’s conventional variant.
The F-35 will make its debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in the United Kingdom July 11-13. The F-35 will also display at the Farnborough International Air Show July 14-20. The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT] with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].