Pilot Unharmed Following Significant Damage to F-35 Military Jet in Accident at Alaska Base

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—A U.S. Air Force pilot has been reported safe after a single-seat F-35 fighter jet went down during a training operation at an Alaskan base on Tuesday.

The pilot encountered an “inflight malfunction” but successfully ejected from the aircraft, according to Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, during a news briefing. The incident occurred during the landing phase at Eielson Air Force Base, he added.

Before the crash, the pilot had signaled an inflight emergency and is currently in stable condition while receiving medical attention, he confirmed.

The crash, which took place early Tuesday afternoon, resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft, as stated by the Air Force.

Eielson Air Force Base is located approximately 25 miles south of Fairbanks.

In the statement, Townsend indicated that the Air Force would carry out “a comprehensive investigation in an effort to reduce the likelihood of such incidents in the future.”

Eielson was designated in 2016 to accommodate 54 F-35s, leading to an expansion that exceeded half a billion dollars, which included 36 new buildings and numerous housing units. The expansion also involved about 3,500 new active duty airmen and their families.

The F-35, with a flight capability exceeding 12 hours non-stop, is capable of reaching nearly any location in the Northern Hemisphere on a single mission.

In May, another F-35 crashed while traveling from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles after the pilot stopped for refueling in New Mexico. The pilot sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.

In October, an investigation by the Marine Corps determined that the pilot of an F-35 ejected from the aircraft unnecessarily, resulting in the fighter flying unmanned for 11 minutes before crashing in rural South Carolina in 2023.

By Mark Thiessen