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The reason for this was because the hydraulic fluid was 30% water after the barrels were left outside in Japan during a rainstorm. The barrels were also expired.

Additionally, there was insufficient tracking of what hydraulic barrel(s) went on movements and whether said barrel(s) returned to Eielson AFB (Tab V-9.11). Information pertaining to barrel movement is not required to be tracked in depth, but HAZMAT records were incomplete and did not permit accurate tracing (Tabs V-9.11, BB-199-200). For example, information about at 354 FGS hydraulic fluid barrel that was transported to Kadena Air Base, Japan, in support of a Theater Security Package (TSP) was overwritten by a subsequent deployment to that Air Base (Tab BB- 199-200). This error made it impossible to track where the barrel had traveled upon completion of the exercise (Tab BB-199-200).

Because of incomplete records, there was insufficient information to confirm whether the barrel used to service hydraulic fluid the MA on 23 January 2025 was the same hydraulic barrel that was left outside in inclement weather at Kadena Air Base for at least six weeks (Tab BB-199-200). This was in direct violation of Air Force regulations, which require that hydraulic fluid be stored in a container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place." in accordance with AFI 91-203 and OSHA Safety Data Sheets (Tab BB-14, 22)." "Additionally, the hydraulic barrel that was used to service the MA had been marked empty/consumed" in April 2024, but had not been disposed of (Tabs D-15, BB-199-200). Even so, it was in-use at the 355 FGS and, when tested, contained about 33 percent water (Tab J-13).

This isn't an issue with the aircraft, any plane is going to fail when you put multiple liters of water into the hydraulics. The ground crews massively screwed up though.