F-35 Problems Continue, USAF F-35A Catches Fire During Take-Off

The US Air Force grounded 26 F-35A fighters after one caught fire while take off for a training flight, a Pentagon spokesman was quoted by Reuters.

The pilot aborted the takeoff and was not injured, Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office, was quoted as saying.

The aircraft was the conventional take off and landing  F-35A, the Air Force variant of the fighter.

Other media outlets reported that the aircraft was severely damaged in the Monday morning fire on the runway. 

The fire occurred in the rear part of the plane where the engine is located. According to some reports, flames were seen coming out of the engine exhaust.

The entire F-35 fleet was briefly grounded on June 13 after another variant of the F-35 – the US Marines’ F-35B –developed an oil leak in flight, and declared an in-flight emergency before landing safely at its base, Marine Air Station Yuma in Arizona. The aircraft resumed flying June 16-17 after their engines were inspected.