ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A pilot from the U.S. Air Force is reported to be safe following a crash involving a single-seat F-35 fighter jet during a training session at an Alaskan airbase on Tuesday.
According to Col. Paul Townsend, the commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, the pilot faced an “inflight malfunction” but successfully ejected from the plane just before the incident occurred. The crash happened while the aircraft was in the landing phase at Eielson Air Force Base.
The pilot had already alerted authorities to an inflight emergency prior to the crash. Fortunately, he is in stable condition and is currently being assessed at a medical facility, Townsend reported during a news briefing.
The incident, which took place early Tuesday afternoon, resulted in considerable damage to the aircraft, according to a statement from the Air Force. Eielson Air Force Base is located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Fairbanks.
In a statement addressing the situation, Townsend emphasized that the Air Force is committed to conducting “a thorough investigation to minimize the chances of such incidents occurring in the future.”
Eielson Air Force Base was designated in 2016 to accommodate 54 F-35 fighter jets, which initiated a significant expansion costing over half a billion dollars. This expansion plan included the construction of 36 new buildings and numerous housing units, alongside accommodating about 3,500 new active duty airmen and their families.
The F-35 possesses the capability to fly for over 12 hours on a single mission, allowing it to operate across much of the Northern Hemisphere with ease.
Earlier this year, in May, an F-35 fighter jet en route from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles crashed after a refueling stop in New Mexico, resulting in serious injuries to the pilot.
Additionally, in October, a Marine Corps investigation determined that an F-35 pilot unnecessarily ejected from the aircraft, allowing it to fly unmanned for 11 minutes before it ultimately crashed in rural South Carolina earlier in 2023.
