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Extraordinary footage emerged from Alaska early Wednesday morning of a U.S. Air Force F-35 jet crashing during a training flight and explodes in a ball of fire. The pilot on board managed to bail out before hitting the ground, and is seen in the background plummeting to safety.
U.S. Air Force F-35 jet crashes in Alaska during a training flight and explodes in a ball of fire
According to the US Air Force, the crash at Eielson Air Force Base occurred during the landing process, after the pilot encountered some kind of "inflight malfunction." After falling to the ground, the pilot was taken to receive medical treatment, and his condition was described as stable. The crash caused "significant damage" to the plane and that there will be a "a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.”
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Eielson was selected in 2016 to host 54 F-35s, spawning an expansion that cost more than a half-billion dollars that was to include 36 new buildings and dozens of housing units. The expansion included about 3,500 new active duty airmen and their dependents.
The F-35 can fly for more than 12 hours continuously and can reach anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in a single flight.
This is not the first crash of the advanced aircraft. In May, an F-35 crashed on its way from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base in Los Angeles after the pilot stopped to refuel in New Mexico. He was seriously injured. In another incident, in 2023, an F-35 crashed in South Carolina after the pilot ejected and allowed it to fly for 11 minutes unmanned until it hit the ground. The investigation report into the incident, published in October, determined that the soldier abandoned the plane when it was not necessary.