F-35 Crashes: A List of Accidents, Causes and the Safety Record

More than 15 F-35s have been destroyed or written off in accidents since 2014, and one pilot has been killed. Set against a fleet of over 1,375 aircraft and more than a million flight hours, that is a low loss rate for a new fighter, but each crash costs around $100 million and several have exposed real weaknesses in the aircraft or its support.

This article lists the most significant accidents, groups them by cause and explains what investigators found. It covers accidents only; aircraft hit in combat are dealt with in our piece on the F-35’s combat record.

How many F-35s have crashed?

There is no single official tally, because the aircraft is flown by three US services and a growing list of foreign air forces, each of which reports separately. Public records show a little over 20 serious incidents since 2014, of which more than 15 ended with the aircraft destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair.

The first loss of an airframe came in June 2014, when an engine fire on take-off at Eglin Air Force Base wrecked an F-35A. The first actual crash was in September 2018, twelve years after the type’s first flight. The only fatal accident to date was in Japan in April 2019.

Notable F-35 accidents

What causes F-35 crashes?

No single flaw runs through the list. The causes fall into four groups.

Engine and propulsion. The 2014 fire was traced to a fan blade rubbing inside the F135 engine. The 2018 crash was caused by a defective fuel tube, and the December 2022 accident by a vibration problem that halted deliveries for weeks. All three led to fleet-wide inspections or fixes.

Human factors. Japanese investigators concluded that the pilot lost in 2019 probably suffered spatial disorientation. The 2020 Eglin crash involved a landing flown too fast, with the Air Force also citing a misaligned helmet display and pilot fatigue.

Ship operations. The British loss in 2021 was caused by an engine intake cover left in place, and the 2022 Carl Vinson accident by a landing approach that came in too low. Neither was a design fault, but both show how unforgiving flying from ships is for the F-35B and F-35C.

Maintenance and systems. The January 2025 Alaska crash is the most instructive. The accident report found that water in the hydraulic fluid froze in the landing gear, the jet’s sensors then decided it was on the ground, and the flight controls switched mode in mid-air. The pilot spent about 50 minutes on a call with Lockheed Martin engineers before ejecting.

The jet that kept flying

The strangest case was in September 2023. A Marine pilot ejected from an F-35B in bad weather over South Carolina after an electrical malfunction knocked out his displays. The aircraft carried on by itself for about 60 miles before crashing in a field, and the wreckage was not found until the next day. Investigators later judged that the jet had still been flyable.

Is the F-35 safe?

By the standards of earlier fighters, yes. Single-engine jets such as the F-16 suffered far more losses in their first two decades, and the F-35’s one fatality in more than a million hours is unusually low. Modern ejection seats and automatic ground-collision avoidance software deserve part of the credit.

The record is not improving, however. At least four aircraft have been lost since the start of 2025, at a time when the fleet’s readiness and maintenance backlog are under heavy criticism. Investigators have repeatedly pointed to maintenance practices and incomplete technical guidance rather than to the basic design.

Frequently asked questions

How many F-35s have crashed?

Public records show more than 15 F-35s destroyed or written off in accidents since 2014, out of more than 1,375 delivered. There is no single official total covering all operators.

Has anyone died in an F-35 crash?

One pilot has been killed: Major Akinori Hosomi of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, whose F-35A flew into the Pacific in April 2019.

What was the first F-35 crash?

A US Marine Corps F-35B crashed in South Carolina on 28 September 2018. The pilot ejected safely. An F-35A had been written off after an engine fire in 2014.

Why do F-35s crash?

Causes have included engine defects, pilot disorientation, errors during ship operations, an electrical failure and contaminated hydraulic fluid. No single design fault explains the losses.

What happened to the F-35 that went missing in 2023?

The pilot ejected over South Carolina after an electrical malfunction. The aircraft flew on for about 60 miles and crashed in a field, where it was found the next day.

Which F-35 variant crashes most?

The F-35B has the most losses in the public record, which reflects its more demanding short take-off and vertical landing operations as well as its use at sea.