A US Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jet crashed and caught fire near the runway at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in California. The pilot ejected in time and was taken to hospital in stable condition.
On 1 August 2026, foreign news agencies reported that a US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet crashed and caught fire inside Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in California on the morning of Friday, 31 July local time.
Reports state that this single-seat fighter jet, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed shortly before reaching the runway around 10:00 a.m. local time. The crash caused a fire and a large plume of smoke visible several kilometers away.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing revealed that the pilot safely ejected and was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Base firefighters responded promptly, using fire suppression foam on the wreckage and quickly extinguishing the fire spreading to surrounding grassland.
Communication recordings from the base control tower indicate the F-35 crashed during the final approach to landing, with the parachute deployed as the pilot ejected. The cause of the accident remains unknown. Military aircraft crashes are usually investigated by the armed forces, unlike civilian aircraft incidents overseen by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The F-35B is a variant of the F-35 stealth fighter series, touted by its manufacturer as the most advanced technology in the world. It can land conventionally or take off and land vertically like a helicopter. Measuring over 50 feet (about 15 meters) long, it is operated by the US Marine Corps, the UK Armed Forces, and the Italian Air Force. Each unit costs approximately 102 million US dollars, or about 3.5 billion baht.
Source: CNN