Fire crews spray down the wreckage of a US Marines’ F-35B fighter jet after it crashed into a field near Miramar Air Base in San Diego, California, on July 31, 2026.(Photo by SANDY HUFFAKER / AFP)
Los Angeles, United States: A US F-35 fighter jet crashed Friday near a military base in San Diego, but the pilot was able to eject before impact, officials said.
"There was an aviation mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity" of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at about 10:00 am (1700 GMT), a spokesman for the base told AFP.
"The pilot was ejected and has been recovered."
A later statement from the military base said the pilot had been transported to a medical facility "in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries."
Footage circulated on social media showing a plume of smoke rising from the aircraft, as firefighters were deployed to douse the flames.
Each F-35B, the variant of the stealth fighter jet with vertical takeoff and landing capability, costs about $109 million, according to maker Lockheed Martin.
