The Air Force recently made a decision to restrict pilots weighing less than 136 pounds from flying the F-35A Lightning II due to safety concerns about the ejection seat in a portion of the flight envelope. In a recent test, analysis identified an unacceptable risk of neck injury during parachute deployment/opening for lighter-weight pilots at low-speed conditions. There is also an elevated level of risk for pilots between 136 and 165 pounds. The weight restriction is an interim fix while the industry to reaches a solution on the ejection seat as quickly as possible.
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