--- title: "Watch an F-35 faceplant after a landing gear failure in Japan" description: "A Marine Corps F-35 fighter jet’s landing gear malfunctioned on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Thursday." date: "2022-12-01" modified: "2022-12-01" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-f-35-landing-gear-failure-japan/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Around the World" - "Fighter Aircraft" - "Japan" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" --- # Watch an F-35 faceplant after a landing gear failure in Japan ![Marine Corps F-35 mishap japan]() *A Marine Corps F-35B fighter’s landing gear malfunctioned on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Thursday, causing its nose to hit the pavement. (Screenshot via Facebook/Air Force amn/nco/snco)* A Marine Corps F-35B fighter’s landing gear malfunctioned on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Thursday, causing its nose to hit the pavement. Nobody was injured in the mishap, but cameras captured video and still images of the unfortunate airplane with its nose in the dirt. Video[ posted]() to the popular Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco shows the jet being towed before the landing gear fails and the nose falls. The F-35B pilot made a precautionary landing at Kadena at about 1:40 p.m. “due to a suspected electrical issue,” Maj. Roberto Martins, a spokesperson for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing,[ said]() in a statement. The pilot “performed as trained” by landing the aircraft at Kadena safely in line with standard procedures, Martins said. The aircraft is assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, about 600 miles northeast of Kadena, which is an Air Force base. “There are no injuries as a result of the landing gear malfunction, and a detailed investigation will be conducted,” Martins said. Stars & Stripes [reported]() that Marine Corps officials were not certain yet how much damage was done to the fighter. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.** The nose is a sensitive spot for many fighter aircraft because it’s [where the radar is often stored]() which allows the jet to spot nearby aircraft or missiles. The F-35 in particular has an[ electro-optical targeting system]() that further enhances the pilot’s ability to locate and track targets. The sensors that make up the targeting system are housed in a sapphire window under the jet’s nose. Sapphire windows are “extremely hard and more durable than standard optical glass,”[ according]() to the Newport Corporation, a technology company. Hopefully, those windows are strong enough to resist the Kadena mishap. https://twitter.com/okinawa_nhk/status/1598296523657256960?s=20&t=wp6AGKz0pEVfr4ElHMo57g Aircraft mishaps are [a part of military aviation](), but considering how much the new F-35s cost, accidents pack a punch even when nobody is hurt. The short takeoff and landing variant used by the Marine Corps costs $101.3 million each under a contract with manufacturer Lockheed Martin signed in 2019, Breaking Defense[ reported]() in March, though that price may rise due to inflation and supply struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aircraft repairs can sometimes take[ years to complete](). In October, the Navy celebrated bringing an[ EA-18G Growler]() fighter jet back to life five years after colliding with another aircraft on a training mission. A mid-air collision is more dramatic than a landing-gear failure on the runway, so hopefully it will not take as long to get the F-35B back up to fighting shape. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Minnesota Vikings** [**thanked porn star Johnny Sins**]() **for his service** - **The Air Force’s admin software is so bad that** [**the top enlisted airman is trolling it**]() - **US Navy fined for** [**acts of software piracy**]() - [**All-mom flight**]() **of Air Force F-15 fighter pilots takes to the skies** - **Air Force stages** [**show of force flyover**]() **after North Korea’s latest ICBM test** **Want to write for Task & Purpose?**[ **Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on**[ **our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()