Hill AFB flying operations resume in wake of crash
Photo supplied, Airman 1st Class Jose Miguel T. Tamondong/U.S. Air Force
An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing takes off during an exercise at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 13, 2021. An F-35A crashed at Hill Air Force Base at the end of a training exercise on Oct. 19, 2022.HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Following last week’s crash of an F-35A at Hill Air Force Base, flying has resumed at the facility.
Flying operations at Hill had been halted after the Oct. 19 crash, in part to give officials time to gather all the debris from the accident, which occurrred at the end of a training exercise. The pilot of the jet safely ejected.
On Tuesday, though, officials resumed normal F-35A flying operations. “The F-35A Lightning II mission at Hill AFB is vital to national defense, and resuming training here is crucial to that mission,” Hill said in a statement.
Hill spokesperson Micah Garbarino said operations were halted to give officials time to gather all the debris from the crash of the F35A on a runway at the north end of the base. If flying had resumed before the work was done, airplane activity could have moved some of the debris, hampering efforts to investigate the cause.
Air Force officials are investigating the incident and the probe could take “quite some time,” Garbarino said.
Hill houses the 388th and 419th fighter wings.