Breaking: crash RAF F-35B Lightning II
On 17 November 2021 at around 11:00 hrs LT, a Royal Air Force (RAF) F-35B Lightning II crashed in the Mediterranean while operating from the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08).
According to the Ministry of Defence the pilot ejected and safely returned to the ship. Investigation into the cause of the incident has started immediately.
The Queen Elizabeth carries eight RAF F-35Bs (617 Squadron Dambusters), ten US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35Bs (VMFA-211 The Wake Island Avengers), four AW159 Wildcat HMA2 maritime attack helicopters, seven Merlin HM2 anti-submarine and three Merlin HC4 commando helicopters.
The carrier is returning to the UK after more than seven months at sea on a maiden voyage to the Far East and back.
Photo by Ronald Oost (Scramble Archive)