An F35B fighter jet crashed Friday morning near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The incident occurred around ten oclock local time when the advanced stealth aircraft went down in the vicinity of the base flight line. Officials from the Marine Corps confirmed the event as a Class A mishap which ranks as the most severe category reserved for cases involving aircraft destruction or damages exceeding two million dollars.
The single seat jet belonged to Marine Aircraft Group Eleven within the Third Marine Aircraft Wing which operates from the Miramar installation. The pilot the only person on board ejected from the aircraft prior to impact. Rescue teams recovered the pilot shortly afterward and transported the individual to a local medical facility. Authorities stated that the pilot sustained non life threatening injuries and remains in stable condition while receiving care.
No name or further personal details about the pilot have been released to the public at this stage. The crash ignited a small vegetation fire in an open field near the site. San Diego firefighters and base emergency personnel responded quickly to the scene. Crews applied water and fire retardant to contain the flames which left a scorched area roughly the size of a football field.
Aerial views captured by local news helicopters showed the wreckage broken into sections amid rising smoke as responders worked to secure the area. One witness driving on nearby Interstate Fifteen reported seeing the aircraft pass overhead with its cockpit open before it descended in a fireball while a parachute carried the ejected pilot toward the ground.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar sits approximately ten to fourteen miles north of downtown San Diego and serves as home to more than fifteen thousand Marines sailors and civilian personnel. It functions as the headquarters for the Third Marine Aircraft Wing the primary aviation force for the Marine Corps on the West Coast. The F35B model involved in the mishap represents the short takeoff and vertical landing variant designed specifically for Marine operations including potential use from amphibious ships.
Each such aircraft carries a unit cost of about one hundred nine million dollars making the loss significant in both operational and financial terms. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash and the Marine Corps indicated that additional information will be shared as the inquiry progresses. The purpose of the flight whether training or otherwise has not been disclosed. Emergency operations focused on extinguishing the fire securing the wreckage and ensuring the safety of the surrounding area.
No injuries to personnel on the ground have been reported. The incident marks another in a series of recent aviation events involving the F35 family of jets though each case remains independent pending full review by military authorities.
