F-35 grounded during crash probe

The Pentagon grounded all 245 U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marines F-35 fighters on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into a jet that crashed in Beaufort, S.C., late last month. Eleven international partners who participated in the program also grounded most of their F-35s. A Navy aircraft mishap board is charged with overseeing the investigation, and they will be conducting a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube inside the engine of the F-35 aircraft, according to military officials. Joe Dellavedova, director of public affairs for the F-35 program, said that they will remove and replace any fuel tubes they suspect might be problematic. Those planes that don't have the problem will be cleared to fly, he said, and they hope to have the inspections completed within 24 to 48 hours. (Source: NBCNews, CNN, 10/11/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. Previous