The Accident Investigation Board, investigating the June 23, 2014, engine fire in an F-35A Lightning II , found the cause of the misha...
The F-35A, which was assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, was damaged during the takeoff portion of a training mission. The pilot safely aborted the takeoff and exited the aircraft. Following the aborted takeoff, emergency crews responded to the burning aircraft and extinguished the fire.
The engine failed when the third stage forward integral arm of a rotor fractured and liberated during the takeoff roll. The prolonged rubbing into the material in the stator, decomposed and superheated the titanium rotor leading to excessive heating which started very small cracks in a titanium seal and then led to failure of the third stage compressor fan rotor.
Pieces of the failed rotor arm cut through the engine's fan case, the engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the aircraft's upper fuselage.
Damage from the engine failure caused leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid to ignite and burn the rear two thirds of the aircraft. The total mishap damage is estimated to be in excess $50 million,
The F135 engine have a conventional, forward thrust variant and a multi-cycle STOVLvariant that includes a forward lift fan.It is the derived from the proven F119-PW-100 engine, the technologically advanced turbofan engine exclusively powering the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor.
The F135 engine is rated at a Maximum Thrust of 191,2 kN (48000 lbs) and is 5.59 m long with a 1.09 m diameter.
