Published Date: 2021-11-23
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea during take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth occurred in November 2021 [120802, 120797, 120778]. 2. The incident took place in November 2021 based on the information provided in the articles. |
| System | 1. F-35B Lightning II stealth plane's engine [120802, 120797, 120778] 2. Red plastic rain cover for the jet [120802, 120797, 120778] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. The software failure incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was caused by the cheap rain cover being sucked into the engine of the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane during take-off from the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth. This incident led to the pilot ejecting from the plane and the subsequent crash into the sea [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Royal Navy ([120802, 120797]) 2. Ministry of Defence ([120797, 122908]) 3. RAF (Royal Air Force) ([120797, 120778]) 4. US Air Force ([120778]) |
| Software Causes | 1. The failure incident of the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea during take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth was suspected to be caused by the cheap rain covers not being taken off properly, leading to a rain cover being sucked into the engine of the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. The F-35 fighter jet crashed into the Mediterranean due to the cheap rain covers not being taken off properly, which led to a rain cover being sucked into the engine, forcing the pilot to eject [120802, 120797, 120778]. 2. The pilot of the jet was left dangling from the edge of the HMS Queen Elizabeth after ejecting, with his parachute lines becoming snagged on the edge of the runway, causing him to plunge into the water [120797]. 3. The crash raised questions about the quality of the F-35B aircraft, of which Britain currently has 24, and the incident was the first mishap for both the RAF's F-35B fleet and for HMS Queen Elizabeth [120797]. 4. The incident triggered a frantic underwater race to find the wreckage of the F-35B stealth jet and secure the crash site before Russian divers could get there first [120802, 120797]. 5. The recovery operation of the crashed F-35 involved working with the US and Italy to recover the aircraft believed to be more than a mile below the surface of the Mediterranean [120778]. |
| Impacts | 1. The leaked footage of the F-35B crash incident caused a security breach and raised concerns about trust and confidentiality within the Royal Navy [120802, 120797]. 2. The incident led to a frantic underwater race to find and secure the wreckage of the F-35B stealth jet before foreign divers, particularly from Russia, could reach the crash site [120802, 120797]. 3. The crash incident raised questions about the quality and safety of the F-35B aircraft, as it was the first major incident involving the aircraft [120802, 120797]. 4. The incident highlighted the sensitivity of the technology onboard the F-35B, including top-secret radar equipment and sensors, which could be of interest to rival nations [120802, 120797]. 5. The crash incident triggered a recovery operation involving divers, miniature submarines, and inflatable bags to retrieve the aircraft from more than a mile below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea [120802, 120797]. 6. The incident resulted in the arrest of a sailor for sharing the leaked footage of the crash, leading to internal investigations and potential disciplinary actions [120797]. 7. The crash incident added to a series of high-profile incidents involving F-35 aircraft, raising concerns about the safety and reliability of the aircraft model [120778, 122908]. |
| Preventions | 1. Proper adherence to safety protocols and procedures, including ensuring that all covers and engine blanks are removed before flights, could have prevented the incident [120802, 120797, 120778]. 2. Enhanced training and awareness among personnel regarding the importance of following strict guidelines and protocols related to aircraft maintenance and operations could have helped prevent the incident [120778]. 3. Implementation of more robust checks and balances in the pre-flight checklist to ensure that all necessary safety measures are in place before take-off could have mitigated the risk of such incidents [120778]. 4. Improved monitoring and oversight of personnel activities, especially in sensitive areas like control towers, to prevent unauthorized recording and dissemination of confidential material could have reduced the likelihood of security breaches leading to incidents [120802, 120797]. |
| Fixes | 1. Proper adherence to safety protocols and procedures, such as ensuring that rain covers and engine blanks are removed before flights, to prevent foreign objects from causing malfunctions during take-off [120802, 120797, 120778]. 2. Enhanced training and awareness for personnel involved in aircraft operations to prevent similar incidents in the future [120778]. 3. Conducting thorough investigations into the causes of the crash to identify any technical or human errors that contributed to the failure [120778]. 4. Collaboration with allies, such as the US and Italy, to recover the wreckage and prevent sensitive technology from falling into the wrong hands [120797, 120778]. 5. Implementing stricter security measures to prevent leaks of sensitive information, as seen in the case of the leaked footage of the crash [120802, 120797]. |
| References | 1. Ministry of Defence [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778] 2. National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove [122908] 3. Lockheed Martin [122908] 4. RAF [120778] 5. US Air Force [120778] 6. US Marine Corp [120778] 7. South Korean Air Force [122908] 8. Japanese officials [122908] 9. The Sun [120802, 120797, 120778] 10. Sky News [120802] 11. MailOnline [122908] 12. USNI News [120778] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | unknown | The articles do not mention any specific software failure incidents that have happened again at the same organization or at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea. The crash was suspected to have occurred because a red plastic rain cover for the jet was accidentally left on and sucked into an engine during take-off from the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth. This design flaw led to the pilot having to eject from the plane, resulting in the loss of the aircraft [120802, 120797, 120778]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is seen in the same incident where the F-35 fighter jet crashed. The operation phase failure was due to the pilot realizing the issue of the rain cover being left on and trying to abort take-off but being unable to stop the plane before reaching the end of the ship's runway. This operational error contributed to the crash of the jet into the sea [120802, 120797, 120778]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system, outside_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was primarily caused by internal factors within the system. Specifically, investigators suspect that the crash occurred because the cheap rain covers for the jet were not properly removed before take-off, leading to one of the covers being sucked into the engine of the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane, forcing the pilot to eject [Article 120778]. Additionally, the incident was exacerbated by the pilot's inability to stop the plane before reaching the end of the ship's runway, despite realizing the issue and attempting to abort take-off [Article 120797]. (b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by external factors originating from outside the system. For instance, the leak of a 16-second clip showing the crash on social media was a security breach caused by a sailor who copied the footage using a smartphone and shared it on Twitter [Article 120802]. Furthermore, there were concerns about foreign powers, particularly Russia, attempting to salvage the wreckage to uncover the sensitive technology onboard the F-35 fighter jet, indicating external threats to the system [Article 120778]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - In the incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea, investigators suspect that the crash occurred because a red plastic rain cover for the jet was accidentally left on and sucked into an engine, leading to the malfunction during take-off [120802, 120797, 120778]. - The incident triggered a frantic underwater race to find the wreckage of the F-35B stealth jet and secure the crash site before foreign divers could reach it [120802]. - Recovery efforts involved working with the US and Italy to recover the aircraft believed to be more than a mile below the surface [120778]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - A sailor leaked film of the warplane crashing into the sea on take-off, which was considered a shocking security breach [120802, 120797]. - The leaked footage prompted an internal investigation, and a sailor was arrested for sharing the confidential material [122908]. - Sources mentioned that the RAF pilot realized the issue with the rain cover and tried to abort take-off but was unable to stop the plane before the end of the ship's runway [120797, 120778]. - Naval personnel reported seeing the cover floating in the sea nearby the aircraft carrier after the accident, indicating a potential human error in not properly removing the cover before flight [120778]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident involving the F-35B stealth jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was suspected to have occurred because a red plastic rain cover for the jet was accidentally left on and sucked into an engine, leading to the crash [120802]. - Investigators feared that the F-35 fighter jet crashed into the Mediterranean Sea while taking off because the cheap rain covers had not been taken off properly, causing the rain cover to be sucked into the engine [120778]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The incident of the F-35B stealth jet crashing into the sea was also related to a sailor leaking film of the crash, which was copied using a smartphone and shared on Twitter, leading to a security breach [120802]. - Leaked footage of the F-35 crash was spread online, prompting an internal investigation with a sailor ending up arrested for sharing the confidential material [122908]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | [a: #120802, #120797, #122908] - The incident of the F-35B stealth jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was not due to a malicious intent but rather a non-malicious event. The crash was believed to have been caused by a red plastic rain cover for the jet being accidentally left on and sucked into an engine during take-off from the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth [120802]. - Investigators suspected that the jet crashed because the cheap rain covers had not been taken off properly, leading to the rain cover being sucked into the engine, forcing the pilot to eject [120797]. - The recovery efforts of the crashed F-35B were conducted in a secret salvage operation involving British, American, and Italian crews to prevent the sophisticated radar and sensors from falling into the wrong hands, indicating a non-malicious objective in the recovery process [122908]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions, accidental_decisions | (a) poor_decisions: The software failure incident involving the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea during take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth was primarily attributed to poor decisions. The incident was suspected to have occurred because the cheap rain covers for the jet were not properly removed before take-off, leading to one of the covers being sucked into the engine of the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane, ultimately causing the crash [Article 120778]. The failure was a result of a series of poor decisions related to the maintenance and operational procedures of the aircraft, highlighting the importance of following strict protocols to prevent such incidents. (b) accidental_decisions: In addition to poor decisions, the incident also involved accidental decisions or mistakes. The pilot of the F-35B realized the issue with the rain cover and attempted to abort take-off, but was unable to stop the plane before reaching the end of the runway on the aircraft carrier [Article 120778]. This accidental decision to proceed with take-off despite the issue with the rain cover contributed to the ultimate failure of the mission. The combination of poor decisions and accidental decisions led to the software failure incident in this case. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development_incompetence: - The incident of the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was suspected to have occurred because the cheap rain covers were not taken off properly, leading to one being sucked into the engine, causing the crash [Article 120778]. - Investigators believe that the RAF pilot realized the issue and tried to abort take-off, but was unable to stop the plane before reaching the end of the ship's runway, indicating a potential lapse in following strict rules around removing covers and engine blanks before flights [Article 120778]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The incident of the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was described as an accident that happened while the jet was accelerating up the ramp of the flight deck, leading to the pilot ejecting when the plane reached the top [Article 120778]. - The Ministry of Defence stated that the investigation into the crash was focusing on technical or human error, suggesting that the incident was not caused by hostile action but rather by an accidental occurrence [Article 120778]. |
| Duration | temporary | The software failure incident related to the F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea was temporary. The incident was caused by the cheap rain covers not being taken off properly, which led to a rain cover being sucked into the engine of the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane during take-off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth. This temporary failure resulted in the pilot having to eject from the aircraft before it crashed into the sea [Article 120778]. The recovery efforts to find the wreckage of the jet and secure the crash site involved a collaborative effort between the UK, US, and Italy, utilizing divers, miniature submarines, and inflatable bags to lift the plane from the seabed. The operation was shrouded in secrecy to prevent the sophisticated radar and sensors of the F-35 from falling into the wrong hands, particularly those of foreign powers like Russia [Article 122908]. |
| Behaviour | crash, omission, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved an F-35B stealth jet crashing into the Mediterranean Sea during take-off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. The pilot had to eject from the jet, which ultimately ended up at the bottom of the sea [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (b) omission: The incident also involved an omission as the crash was suspected to have occurred because the cheap rain covers on the jet had not been taken off properly. This omission led to the rain cover being sucked into the engine of the F-35B, forcing the pilot to eject [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (c) timing: There is no specific indication in the articles that the software failure incident was related to timing issues. (d) value: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly due to value-related issues. (e) byzantine: The incident did not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can also be described as a security breach. A sailor leaked a 16-second clip of the crash using a smartphone, which was then shared on social media. This unauthorized sharing of sensitive footage raised concerns and led to an internal investigation [120802, 120797]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | harm, property, non-human, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any individuals losing their lives due to the software failure incident in the provided articles [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The pilot of the F-35B stealth jet suffered minor injuries and had to eject from the plane during the incident [120802, 120797, 120778]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no indication that people's access to food or shelter was impacted by the software failure incident in the articles [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The loss of the F-35B stealth jet, valued at £100 million, was a significant impact of the software failure incident [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The incident triggered a frantic underwater race to find the wreckage of the F-35B stealth jet and secure the crash site before Russian divers could get there first, indicating a sense of urgency rather than a delay [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The F-35B stealth jet itself was a non-human entity impacted by the software failure incident [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident resulted in the crash of the F-35B stealth jet, the pilot ejecting, and the subsequent recovery efforts, indicating real observed consequences [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The potential consequences discussed included fears of Russia salvaging the wreckage to uncover secret technology onboard the jet, but there is no confirmation that this occurred [120778]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There are no other consequences of the software failure mentioned in the articles beyond those covered in options (a) to (h) [120802, 120797, 122908, 120778]. |
| Domain | information | (a) The failed system was intended to support the industry of information, specifically related to the production and distribution of information. The incident involved a leaked film of a £100million British warplane crashing into the sea, which was copied using a smartphone and shared on social media, causing a security breach [120802, 120797, 120778]. (b) The incident did not directly involve the transportation industry. (c) The incident did not directly involve the natural resources industry. (d) The incident did not directly involve the sales industry. (e) The incident did not directly involve the construction industry. (f) The incident did not directly involve the manufacturing industry. (g) The incident did not directly involve the utilities industry. (h) The incident did not directly involve the finance industry. (i) The incident did not directly involve the knowledge industry. (j) The incident did not directly involve the health industry. (k) The incident did not directly involve the entertainment industry. (l) The incident did not directly involve the government industry. (m) The failed system was related to the defense sector, specifically the Royal Navy, as it involved a £100million British warplane crashing into the sea during take-off from an aircraft carrier [120802, 120797, 120778]. |
Article ID: 120802
Article ID: 120797
Article ID: 122908
Article ID: 120778