An Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter jet plunged to the ground and exploded after a pilot experienced an "in-flight malfunction" over the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday.
Video of the incident was posted on X by Open Source Intelligence Monitor.
It showed the pilot safely parachuting to the ground as the plane spun to the ground and exploded.
The crash occurred during a scheduled training flight, Military.com reported.
Col. Paul Townsend, the commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said the crash occurred because of an "in-flight malfunction" as the plane was getting ready to land.
While the pilot safely landed, emergency responders transported to Bassett Army Community Hospital in Fairbanks, the fighter group said.
Longer Footage of the F-35A Crash earlier today at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. pic.twitter.com/9OPksbTYWj
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 29, 2025
Townsend said the Air Force would conduct "a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again."
Eielson was selected in 2016 to host 54 F-35s, the Associated Press reported.
The expansion reportedly included about 3,500 active duty airmen and their dependents.
One online commenter said the Air Force should have continued making F-22 aircraft instead of abandoning them to make the F-35A models.
The starting cost of an F-35A variant for the Air Force is $82.5 million, according to Defense One, and the cost can exceed $100 million.
