Video shows moment when the US Air Force’s F-35 fighter jets crashed into Alaska

On By Littum


Alaska, USA:

An American Air Force fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday. The pilot who fled the F-35 fighter with a single seat was safe after rescuing. A video of the crash was widely posted on social media, where the aircraft can be seen vertically falling from the air and flipped before crashing.

The accident was followed by a major explosion where fire rose several meters into the air. The pilot who threw the plane out on time was seen falling on the ground using a parachute.

The pilot experienced a “malfunction of the flight” and was able to push out the plane, the US Air Force Colonel Colonel Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, told a news conference, according to a report from Associated Press.

The accident allegedly happened while landing during a training exercise. The incident on Tuesday afternoon resulted in “significant damage” on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, according to Eielson Air Force Base.

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

The F-35 is the most expensive US defense program and Lockheed Martin’s largest revenue generator, which contributes approx. 30 percent of its bottom line. The giant aircraft is known for flying over 12 hours and reaching almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere in a single flight.

“I can assure you that the US Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in the hope of minimizing the chances of such occurrences happening again,” Townsend said in the statement.

This is not the first event when an F-35 crashed in the middle of the air in the United States. In May 2024, an F-35 fighter jet on the 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 pushing out of an F-35 aircraft when he didn’t have to get Fighter to fly unmanned for 11 minutes before crashing into the 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 aircraft in the coming decades.