Marine Corps says F-35B jet crashed near Southern California air station and pilot has been taken to a medical facility

Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California.The jet went down Friday near the Miramar air base in San Diego. “The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement.Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in a dirt field, with multiple military and firefighting vehicles and people standing nearby. What appeared to be white flame retardant covered the ground, and at least one person was spraying the wreckage with a fire hose.Wade Lott saw the crash as he drove to work at a concrete company just south of the flight line.“It just blew up, it was crazy,” said Lott, 36, who watched from his truck as two jets descended toward the runway together.

The first landed without incident, but the second suddenly began slowing down, almost as if it were trying to hover, Lott said. When the jet was about 100 feet (30 m) above the ground, the pilot ejected and their parachute deployed as they rose about 200 feet (61 m) into the air just in time.“The jet hit the ground right next to another plane,” said Lott. “It plowed into the runway and just blew up.”Candace Hadley, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire, said firefighters were on scene to respond to a vegetation fire that sparked near the crash site.

She referred additional questions to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.The base used to host the Navy fighter pilot training school depicted in the original “Top Gun” movie, and was known as “Fightertown USA” in its heyday. The school was relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada in 1996 after the base was transferred to the Marine Corps.The U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force together have more than 630 F-35s, according to a 2024 analysis by the Government Accounting Office, which estimated the overall price tag to be $2 trillion at that point.

The F-35B is one of several versions, and has an engine designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings. A single F-35B costs about $109 million.A Marines statement called Friday’s crash a “Class A mishap.” That’s the most severe mishap category, used when the damage totals more than $2 million, an aircraft is destroyed or a ser… The jet went down Friday near the Miramar air base in San Diego.

A Marine pilot safely ejected from an F-35B Lightning II fighter jet during a Class A mishap at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Friday, July 21, 2026. The US Marine Corps confirmed a F-35B stealth fighter crashed in California on Friday, and the pilot is expected to live after ejecting from the jet. The pilot ejected before the US$109 million (NZ$185 million) plane crashed at a San Diego base in a “Class A mishap”.

The US Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. The jet went down on Friday near the Miramar airbase in San Diego. Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in...