- The F-35 was undergoing maintenance at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona on March 15, 2023 when the incident occurred
- An engineer left a flashlight in the engine: the three-person team did not follow standard procedure to ensure that all equipment was taken into account
- When the jet’s engines were turned on, they heard a ringing sound: when they turned them off, they saw that the blades were damaged
A $14 million fighter jet engine was damaged beyond repair after an engineer left a flashlight in the engine, sealed it and turned it on, a military investigation has found.
The accident happened in March 2023 at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, on a 56th Fighter Wing aircraft.
The F-35 aircraft underwent a routine check of the propulsion system and a gauge plug was inserted into the engine fuel line.
The addition of the plug was mandatory for the entire Air Force F-35 fleet to resolve an issue discovered after a fuel system accident in December 2022. The F-35 was ‘one of the last aircraft that needed to be completed,” the report said.
An F-35 is pictured at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, where the accident occurred in March 2023
A flashlight, believed to be similar to this one, was left in the $14 million engine – and the engine was then turned on
The three-person technical team from the 62d Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron then sealed the aircraft, after the gauge plug was inserted, and tested the engine.
They fired the engines in the hangar and ran the plane for 13 minutes.
None of the warning sirens sounded and the test appeared to run normally.
But when they turned off the engine, the engineers heard a ringing sound.
“After the shutdown,” the report said, one of the maintenance technicians “completed the post-operation maintenance inspection and noted damage to the engine blades.
“He reported the engine damage to the maintenance officer and stated, ‘I think I just swallowed a flashlight.’
The accident happened at this base, with the 62d Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
An F-35 is pictured on the tarmac of Luke Air Force base in Arizona
Damage to the engine was calculated at $4 million, which meant the entire $14 million engine had to be scrapped.
The Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board found that engineers failed to follow proper procedures and perform a tool check to ensure all their tools were accounted for before starting the engine.
They also failed to follow the standard procedure of attaching all the items they might need to themselves.
No one was injured in the incident.
Luke officials would not say whether any of the administrators involved were disciplined for the accident.
“Any administrative action taken regarding the March 15 F-35 incident cannot be released,” Capt. Scarlett Trujillo, spokesperson for the Air Education and Training Command, said when asked by military news website Task & Purpose .
The Air Force says every member of the maintenance team was current and qualified to perform all duties.