Pilot successfully ejects after F-35 military jet suffers ‘significant damage’ in crash at Eielson AFB

A U.S. Air Force pilot attached to Eielson Air Force Base just south of Fairbanks was reported to be safe after a single-seat F-35 fighter jet crashed Tuesday during a training exercise at the base.

The crash occurred at 12:49 pm on Tuesday within the base’s fenced perimeter, according to an official statement. The single-seat stealth fighter suffered ‘significant damage’ after the pilot, who has not yet been identified, had declared an inflight emergency.

Video of the crash shows the plane in a spin before crashing to the ground while the pilot parachutes safely to the ground. The pilot was able to eject and was in stable condition and being evaluated at a medical facility,

Col. Paul Townsend, Commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said during a news conference that the pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but was able to eject from the aircraft. He went on to say that said the Air Force would conduct a thorough investigation to hopefully minimize the further incidence from occurring in the future.

This latest crash is the latest in a string of incidents involving the world’s most advanced military aircraft. There have been three crashes involving the F-35 in less than a year, following a crash in New Mexico back in May, 2024, where the pilot was seriously injured, and a Marine Corps F-35 crashed in South Carolina, the pilot was able to successfully eject before receiving assistance from a nearby resident. As military official investigate the cause of this latest crash, officials at the Pentagon face increasing pressure to ensure the safety and performance of the fighter jet.

The development of the fighter jet, manufactured by the US firm Lockheed Martin, began in 1995 under the Joint Strike Fighter program and 26 years later, its full-rate production started.

The F-35s are assigned to Eielson Air Force Base 355th Fighter Squadron and the 356th Fighter Squadron. In 2016, Eielson AFB was selected to host 54 F-35s, an expansion that cost more than a half-billion dollars that was to include 3,500 new active duty airmen and their dependents 36 new buildings and dozens of housing units.