A U.S. military F-35 stealth fighter jet crashed near the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California Friday, causing the pilot to be ejected.
“The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the U.S. Marine Corps announced, according to The Associated Press (AP). The aftermath of the crash was captured on film from several angles, which depict smoke coming from the area of the wreckage site somewhere in a California dirt tract inside the base.
Fire trucks and military personnel were seen in the clip. (RELATED: Fears Of A US Draft Grow As The Selective Service Modernizes)
WATCH:
Aerial footage captured by FOX 5 San Diego shows the burned out, smoldering wreckage of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning ll that crashed earlier at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California. pic.twitter.com/PjS8SykDvM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 31, 2026
A concrete worker close to the scene named Wade Lott told The AP that he witnessed the military air mishap while he was on his way to work.
“It just blew up, it was crazy,” said Lott, 36, who watched from his truck as two jets descended toward the runway together.
“The jet hit the ground right next to another plane,” Lott explained. “It plowed into the runway and just blew up.”
BREAKING F-35 CRASHES IN SAN DIEGO A U.S. Marine Corps
— durvesh (@BLackgold_5) August 1, 2026
F-35B stealth fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Friday morning. The pilot ejected safely before the aircraft burst into flames. Officials have launched a full investigation into what caused the… pic.twitter.com/QENpdhizkH
In the statement, the U.S. Marine Corps classified the crash as a “Class A mishap,” the outlet added.
A Class A mishap is the highest level of severity as far as military mishaps go, as the costs of damages in the category exceed some $2,000,000. A situation is also dubbed Class A if a service-member dies, which did not happen here.
Seven other military air mishaps have occurred in the U.S. in 2026, the outlet noted, per the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network database.
F-35B jets are manufactured by the American aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin.
