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.
 

File image of an Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 fighter jet
| Photo Credit: AP

An F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday (January 28, 2025), but the pilot was safe after bailing out, base officials said.

The pilot experienced an “in-flight malfunction,” and was able to eject from the aircraft, U.S. 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 happened while landing during a training exercise, according to the report.

Eielson Air Force Base said in a statement that the incident on Tuesday afternoon resulted in “significant damage” to the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

The pilot was safe and taken to Bassett Army Hospital, according to the statement.

“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.

The F-35 is the most expensive U.S. defense program and Lockheed Martin’s biggest revenue generator, contributing about 30% of its bottom line.

Lockheed said earlier on Tuesday it would be less profitable than expected in 2025, in part because of a delayed rollout of upgrades to the F-35.

The Pentagon plans to spend $1.7 trillion on the F-35 program, including buying 2,500 planes in the coming decades.

A pilot was seriously injured after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet, which crashed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, On Tuesday, CBS News quoted two officials of the US Department of Defence as saying that the aircraft was a developmental model of the $135 million jet, which was en route to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, more than 1,100 kilometres away from Albuquerque. Local outlet KOB4 said the crash took place around 1.50pm (local time) after refuelling at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Lieutenant Jason Fejer, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, said in a social media video that multiple agencies responded to the crash.

Videos posted on social media show the scorched wreckage of the plane burning in a field by the side of a road and firefighters trying to douse the blaze. They successfully controlled the fire, said Mr Fejer.

#BREAKING: F-35 Crash at Albuquerque Airport!

An F-35 fighter jet has just crashed during takeoff at Albuquerque International Airport, New Mexico.

The pilot did eject from the aircraft just in time and is reported to be okay and being transported to a nearby hospital.

The… pic.twitter.com/R57CdfG402

— Larry (@InterStarMedia) May 28, 2024

“Grateful for the rapid action of the first responders who arrived to the scene. Praying for the pilot,” Albuquerque’s Mayor Tim Keller said on social media.

The fighter jet went down near International Sunport in Albuquerque. The pilot was conscious and rushed to University of New Mexico Hospital, as per CBS News.

It is not known if the pilot was an Air Force serviceman or a civilian.

New York Post said that this is the second crash involving a military plane in two months in New Mexico in as many months. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon went down in a remote area near the Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state.

The pilot suffered minor injuries after he ejected from the plane.

Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, Kirtland Air Force Base is home to the 377th Air Base Wing.