An F-35B fighter jet crashed near a US Marine Corps base in San Diego on Friday morning, igniting a small fire that first responders quickly extinguished. The pilot, whose identity has not been released, ejected safely and was transported to a local medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries, according to an official statement from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Pilot stable after ejection
“The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. The crash occurred near the base, prompting a response from fire crews who sprayed down the wreckage.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with officials classifying the incident as a “Class A mishap” – the most severe category, applied when damage exceeds $2 million, an aircraft is destroyed, or a service member is killed. The F-35B is one of the military's most advanced stealth fighters, with each unit costing approximately $109 million.
Fire response and investigation
Candace Hadley, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire, confirmed that firefighters responded to a vegetation fire that sparked near the crash site. She referred further questions to Miramar officials, who have not yet speculated on a cause.
The F-35B is a variant designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings, operated by the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. According to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network database, at least seven other military aircraft mishaps have occurred in the US this year. Mishap investigations reportedly can take several months to complete.
Safety record of F-35s
Despite the incident, the Lexington Institute, a thinktank focused on defense technology and national security, notes that F-35s are considered the safest and most capable fighter jets in the military's fleet. Since the jet was adopted in 2015, there have been fewer crashes involving F-35 models compared with other fighter jets when they were new, and fatal crashes are rare in F-35s.
The crash site near Miramar, a hub for Marine Corps aviation training, has been secured, and an investigation board has been convened to determine the cause. The pilot's condition has been reported as stable, and no other injuries have been reported.
