A crew member makes a signal to F-35 aircraft for take off on the UK's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on June 20, 2021.
A crew member signals to an F-35 aircraft for take off on the UK's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on June 20, 2021.
  • A Royal Navy F-35 pilot described ejecting from an F-35 during a failed takeoff.
  • He told the BBC the jet wasn't accelerating and was going to "roll off the ship," so he had to get out.
  • He used his parachute and ended up landing on the deck, avoiding being sucked under the warship.

A UK fighter pilot has described ejecting from his F-35 just before the aircraft fell into the sea.