Watch | US F-35 fighter jet crashes in Alaska, pilot makes safe exit

A US Air Force F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday. However, the pilot of the fighter jet ejected from the aircraft and is now safe.

Video of the crash went viral on social media, showing the plane coming down from the air, flipping before crashing.

The pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but successfully ejected from the aircraft during the landing phase, said Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing.

The pilot declared an inflight emergency before the crash and is in stable condition, being assessed at a medical facility. The crash, which occurred in the early afternoon, caused significant damage to the jet.

The Air Force stated that it will conduct a thorough investigation to prevent similar incidents in the future. Eielson Air Force Base is located about 25 miles south of Fairbanks.

Eielson air base was was chosen in 2016 to host 54 F-35s. This expansion cost over half a billion dollars, which included 36 new buildings, dozens of housing units, and about 3,500 new active-duty airmen and their families.

In May 2024, an F-35 crashed while travelling from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles after refueling in New Mexico. The pilot was seriously injured and taken to a hospital.

In October last year, a Marine investigation found that an F-35 pilot ejected unnecessarily from the aircraft, causing the jet to fly unmanned for 11 minutes before crashing in rural South Carolina in 2023.

The F-35 is a highly advanced fighter jet. It is part of a family of advanced stealth fighter jets developed by Lockheed Martin for the US and allied forces. It is designed to perform a variety of missions and comes with highly equipped technology.

The F-35 can fly for over 12 hours, reaching almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in a single flight.