Daunting salvage task awaits Japanese F-35 investigators baffled by crash

So, if Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gets hired to salvage the crashed jet, they're getting paid to manufacture a faulty jet AND salvage its pieces. Disaster capitalism: Make the problem and get paid to fix the problem.

Odd there were no communications from the pilot before the plane went missing. Spontaneous explosion? RIP

So, if Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gets hired to salvage the crashed jet, they're getting paid to manufacture a faulty jet AND salvage its pieces. Disaster capitalism: Make the problem and get paid to fix the problem.

I guess you've seen the non-existent report that pins the blame on faulty assembly?

I'm pretty sure if Mitsubishi is found at fault for the crash, they will be held responsible. Just ask Boeing about how they're doing with the 737 Max...

But on the other hand, if it was pilot error, why wouldn't Mitsubishi deserve to be paid for their recovery services?

Right now, no one knows anything so the conspiracy theories are pointless.

"he veteran pilot with 3,200 hours of flying time but only 60 hours in the F-35, should have had time to react to an emergency, the air force official said."

My instincts say: suicide.

Don't care about the wreck. What about the pilot??

@extanker

Right now, no one knows anything so the conspiracy theories are pointless.

They're fun, dude. Chill. Only people with a normalcy bias feel uncomfortable about conspiracy theories. And besides, I didn't say that MHI produced a faulty jet on purpose.

Some mysteries take decades to solve. Hopefully, this isn't one of them.

Seems like Japan, an island nation, would insist that black boxes (really orange) have quick-release and floaties added for easy recovery in water.

The F-35 has a long list of problems and issues well documented.

It's over priced, over hyped, can't fly long distances, can't carry many weapons in the internal bay, one single engine no backup, stealth is not as good as it should be, computer/software easily hacked, it's consider a danger to its pilots from the beginning.

Japan you should build your own 5th gen fighter.

Agree with @alex as these are facts not rumors. Japan should cancel orders and buy helicopters suitable for defense and dealing with mass disasters like the massive earthquake expected in either Tokyo or Nagoya or Wakayama/Osaka or mt Fuji’s imminent eruption.

@simon. The pilot communicated that he was cancelling the excercise and returning, then off radar.

The pilot reported he was aborting the training mission. That suggests he was attempting to return, in a normal world.

I have to believe the U.S. military has deep water salvage capabilities and given that this is an F-35 flown by an ally, they would potentially be on offer.

He was leader of a group of four, and they split into two friendlies and two enemy fighters for aerial combat practice. During the session he signaled ‘Knock it off’ indicating mission abort, and that was the last they heard from him.

Reported in a J Yahoo article 11 April.

https://www.jiji.com/sp/article?k=2019041100020&g=soc&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=link_back_edit_vb

In the dark, during a difficult no-line-of-sight dogfight exercise, was there interference from other sources? (Must be one question to be considered.)

The J article posted above 米軍は三沢基地の哨戒機Ｐ８ポセイドンと横須賀基地（神奈川県）配備のイージス艦「ステザム」を現場に派遣し、捜索に協力している。Mentions a P8 Orion from Misawa and the Aegis USS Stethem out of Yokosuka aiding in the search.

Being reported in the J press today that this particular aircraft made emergency landings twice before, in 2017 and 2018. Parts deemed faulty were replaced each time.

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/fnn?a=20190412-00416041-fnn-pol

If he was flying at low level any high speed, "There was no communication from the pilot indicating a problem with the aircraft". It sounds like the plane had a catastrophic problem/failure, normally a pilot would send out a May Day call especially before ejecting. time is running out for the pilot in these waters, I do hope they recover him rather than his body.