Dramatic video footage of an F-35 fighter jet crashing off the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has been posted on social media.
The footage shows a pilot ejecting as the aircraft plunges into the sea.
Well thank God he is still with us! That’s all I can say. pic.twitter.com/YtL6f0BFAm
— Seb H (@sebh1981) November 29, 2021
According to a BBC report, a UK F-35 jet crashed soon after take-off earlier this month while the carrier was conducting flying operations in the Mediterranean. The Ministry of Defence said it was too soon to comment on the footage and efforts are ongoing to recover the aircraft.
The video appears to have been recorded from one of the ship’s own surveillance cameras. It shows that instead of gaining speed, the jet slows down as it reaches the ramp and the aircraft topples into the ocean.
A parachute can then be seen floating down towards the sea just in front of the ship.
It has been speculated that the crash might have been caused by an engine cover being mistakenly left on the jet.
There is also now likely to be another investigation into how this sensitive video was released online, the BBC report said.
The aircraft are Britain's most advanced jets. They can land vertically, similar to the Harrier Jump Jet, and combine radar-evading stealth technology with supersonic speeds.
