A United States Air Force F-35 fighter jet was involved in a crash during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday. Fortunately, the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft and is reported to be safe.
Footage of the incident circulated widely on social media, depicting the aircraft descending, flipping, and ultimately crashing.
The video captures the dramatic moment of the F-35 crash at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska today. The pilot ejected and was subsequently transported to a hospital for further assessment.
H/T @Liz_Friden
354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs:
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska —
An aircraft incident occurred this… https://t.co/HaQMTtGp0l
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 29, 2025
According to Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, the pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but managed to eject during the landing phase.
The pilot declared an inflight emergency prior to the crash and is currently in stable condition, undergoing evaluation at a medical facility. The incident, which took place in the early afternoon, resulted in substantial damage to the jet.
The Air Force has announced that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Eielson Air Force Base is situated approximately 25 miles south of Fairbanks.
In 2016, Eielson Air Force Base was selected to accommodate 54 F-35s, a project that cost over half a billion dollars and included the construction of 36 new buildings, numerous housing units, and the addition of around 3,500 active-duty airmen and their families.
In May 2024, another F-35 crashed while en route from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles after refueling in New Mexico. The pilot sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.
In October of the previous year, a Marine investigation revealed that an F-35 pilot had ejected unnecessarily from the aircraft, resulting in the jet flying unmanned for 11 minutes before crashing in rural South Carolina in 2023.
The F-35 represents a state-of-the-art fighter aircraft, belonging to a series of sophisticated stealth jets created by Lockheed Martin for the United States and its allied nations. This aircraft is engineered to undertake a wide range of missions and is equipped with cutting-edge technology.
With the capability to remain airborne for more than 12 hours, the F-35 can access nearly any location within the Northern Hemisphere in a single sortie.
