Alaska, US:
A US Air Force fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday. The pilot flying the single-seat F-35 fighter was safe after bailing out. A video of the crash was widely posted on social media, where the aircraft can be seen vertically descending from the air and flipping before it crashed.
The crash was followed by a large explosion, with fire rising several meters up in the air. The pilot, who ejected the plane on time, was seen descending on the ground with the help of a parachute.
BREAKING: F-35 has crashed in Alaska pic.twitter.com/ZLqlADWWbU
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 29, 2025
The pilot experienced an “in-flight malfunction,” and was able to eject from the aircraft, US Air Force Colonel Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, told a news conference, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The crash reportedly happened while landing during a training exercise. The incident on Tuesday afternoon resulted in “significant damage” to the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, according to Eielson Air Force Base.
The pilot was safe and taken to Bassett Army Hospital, according to the statement.
The F-35 is the most expensive US defence program and Lockheed Martin’s biggest revenue generator, contributing about 30 per cent of its bottom line. The fighter aircraft is known for flying over 12 hours, reaching almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in a single flight.
“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 said in the statement.
This is not the first incident when an F-35 crashed mid-air in the US. In May 2024, an F-35 fighter jet on its way from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel in New Mexico. The pilot was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
In October 2024, a pilot was accused of ejecting from an F-35 aircraft when he didn’t need to, causing the fighter to fly unmanned for 11 minutes before it crashed in rural South Carolina in 2023.
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to spend $1.7 trillion more on the F-35 program, including buying 2,500 planes in the coming decades.