Photo By Sandy Owens | Three F-35s taxing on the runway. (Courtesy Photo by Carl Richards/Released)... read more read more
NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas (Jan. 19, 2023) —Thursday Dec. 15 at approximately 10 a.m. an F-35B Lightning II mishap occurred during a vertical landing on Runway 36 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth, forcing the pilot to eject from the aircraft. Emergency services personnel assigned to the installation and Lockheed Martin responded to the incident working cohesively to ensure the pilot’s safety, and astonishingly, reopening the runway within 24 hours.
Deputy Fire Chief Sam DeSessa said “although an unfortunate mishap, this event highlighted the value in our mutual aid partnerships. It isn’t enough to have them penned, to be effective, they have to be exercised, trained and implemented.”
Due to the fact that Lockheed Martin utilizes the NAS JRB Fort Worth runway, NAS JRB Fort Worth Fire Department and Lockheed Fire Department train regularly together for various emergency scenarios that could occur on the flight line.
“We conducted a joint training exercise on the F-35 with Lockheed Fire Department a couple of months before this incident occurred. Our crews mesh with theirs and we perform as one elite unit because we have, and will continue to, invest time training with each other,” explained DeSessa.
Aviation Safety Officer, LCDR Tom Kuhrt, also responded to the incident, and witnessed the cohesiveness between The Lockheed Martin and NAS JRB Fort Worth’s first responders.
“The Lockheed Martin and NAS JRB Fort Worth teams performed admirably following the incident. Once the safety of the pilot was addressed, The Lockheed Martin groups worked around the clock to return the airfield back to its normal operating capability,” said Kuhrt. “The fact that the runway was completely cleared of all debris within 24 hours is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of their personnel. Fortunately, when this event is debriefed in the weeks to come, we can look back and be proud of everyone’s response and continue to make the organizations even more effective.”
| Date Taken: | 01.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2023 13:25 |
| Story ID: | 436943 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,386 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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