US: Marine Corps F-35B jet crashes in San Diego
What's the story
A United States Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jet crashed on Friday near the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The pilot successfully ejected before impact and was later taken to a local medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred around 10:00am local time (1700 GMT).
Crash details
Eyewitness account of the crash
Eyewitness Wade Lott, who was driving to work at a nearby concrete company, described the scene as "crazy."
He saw two jets approaching the runway when one of them suddenly slowed down and hovered.
The pilot ejected about 100 feet above ground and landed safely as the jet crashed into the runway, causing an explosion.
Fire response
Firefighters on the scene
San Diego Fire spokesperson Candace Hadley said firefighters were on the scene to put out a vegetation fire that ignited near the crash site.
The base, MCAS Miramar, was once home to the Navy's fighter pilot training school featured in the original Top Gun movie.
The school moved to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada in 1996 after transferring control of the base from the Navy to the Marine Corps.
Aircraft details
Details about the crash and F-35B
The F-35B is one of several variants of the stealth fighter jet, with an engine that allows for short takeoffs and vertical landings. Each jet costs around $109 million.
The crash has been classified as a 'Class A mishap,' which denotes damages exceeding $2 million, destruction of an aircraft, or a service member killed.
Since 2000, there have been at least 17 other 'Class A mishaps' involving F-35 aircraft in the Air Force alone.