Braxton Taylor
An F-35 Lightning II crashed Tuesday afternoon during a scheduled training event at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, causing a massive fireball and spreading debris not far from the fence line, a video verified as authentic by officials showed.
Video footage of the crash began circulating online Tuesday and showed the F-35 plummeting to the ground as the pilot slowly floated in the air in a parachute. The incident happened around 12:49 p.m. local time.
The pilot safely landed and was transported to Bassett Army Community Hospital in Fairbanks for more attention, the 354th Fighter Wing said in a news release.
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An F-35A costs upward of $100 million, and the incident comes amid an Air Force-wide push on safety standards aimed at curbing expensive accidents. The crash also comes as President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is tasked with eliminating waste in government, have both openly criticized the production and use of the F-35, Military.com has previously reported.
Col. Paul Townsend, commander of Eielson’s 354th Fighter Wing, said in a news release that officials are probing the cause of the crash and are committed to making sure it won’t happen again.
“Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed [to] ensuring their safety and security,” Townsend said. “I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to minimize the chances of such occurrences … happening again.”
He did tell local reporters during a press conference that the pilot “experienced an in-flight malfunction” and that the crash “occurred during the landing phase,” according to video shared by the 354th Fighter Wing.
Local traffic was advised not to stop on Richardson Highway next to the base, as doing so “poses a safety risk and impedes recovery efforts,” the wing said in the news release.
Russell Goemaere, a spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office, said the office will assist in the investigation of the incident.
“The JPO will support the Air Force in the investigation of the mishap,” Goemaere said. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of our warfighters.”
The incident marks the first F-35 crash in 2025. Last year, an F-35B test pilot was in serious condition after ejecting from the aircraft while refueling at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The aircraft was on a trip to Edwards Air Force Base in California from Fort Worth, Texas.
In September 2023, a Marine Corps pilot ejected from an F-35B over South Carolina after experiencing an electrical issue and becoming disoriented. Military and law enforcement officials couldn’t locate the jet for nearly a day.
In 2022, there were four F-35 incidents and crashes.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the name of the 354th Fighter Wing.
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