F-35 pilot tries to save doomed plane with nearly hour-long mid-air conference call before ejecting ahead of crash landing

Footage of the ordeal posted to social media showed the $81 million plane crashing down in a ball of fire as the pilot floated down in a parachute. After the pilot landed, he was transferred to the hospital for observation, with no sign of obvious injury. The plane had an "inflight malfunction” before the crash, Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said, per the New York Post.

“Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed in ensuring their safety and security. I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again,” Townsend added in the briefing.

It was reported that after the plane took off, there was ice in the hydraulic lines of the landing gears of the aircraft, which meant they could not be deployed properly. After taking off from the ground, the pilot was not able to retract the landing gear, but it was locked at an improper angle. The pilot had to get on a call with five Lockheed Martin engineers as the pilot was flying around the air base, and the call went on for 50 minutes.

Two times, the pilot tried a "touch and go" landing in attempts to fix the gear, but the gear completely froze up in response. The jet became "uncontrollable" because of how the gear was positioned, forcing the pilot to eject from the aircraft.

A report looking into the incident concluded that "crew decision-making, including those on the in-flight conference call,” as well as a lack of "oversight for the hazardous material program" contributed to the crash.