The footage shows the USMC 5th Generation jet bursting into flames upon impact
As you probably already know by now, on Sept. 29, 2020, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B and a KC-130J belonging to the VMGR-352 “Raiders” based at MCAS Miramar, were involved in a mid-air collision during AAR (Air-to-Air Refueling) operations. The F-35B, callsign VOLT 93 crashed, while the KC-130J, callsign RAIDER 50, performed a safe crash landing on a field near Thermal Airport, California. The single pilot aboard the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of the Lightning II stealth jet ejected safely and the Super Hercules crew members survived.
The pretty intense audio of the incident was posted by a user at the LiveATC forum.
“LA Center LA Center, RAIDER 50 declaring an emergency, midair collision with VOLT 93. We have two engines out, we’re leaking fuel, and likely on fire, and in emergency descent at this time. RAIDER 50.”
“We declare an emergency. We still have partial control of the aircraft. Two engines out. We are aiming towards uh…”
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At a certain point, you can hear a pilot stating that there was a plume of black smoke on the ground in the Kane West MOA.
That must have been the smoke caused by the F-35B as it crashed near the Salton Sea. Someone managed to film the last seconds of flight of the stricken jet. A video allegedly showing the impact was filmed by a bystander and posted on Instagram by the popular @aviationdaily account. It shows, from distance, a jet trailing some black smoke, crashing into the ground:
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H/T Mattia De Carli for the heads up!
