Pilot Safe After Ejecting From F-35 Crash at San Diego’s MCAS Miramar
By Ward ClarkOn Friday morning, an F-35 from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed and ignited a brush fire near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in the San Diego area. The pilot ejected. It's not yet known if he suffered any injuries in what the Marine Corps is describing as an "aircraft mishap."
An F-35 assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed Friday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, prompting an emergency response and igniting a brush fire, a base spokesperson told Fox News.
Emergency personnel responded to what the Marine Corps described as an "aircraft mishap" on the flight line at about 10 a.m. local time involving an F-35 assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, said 1st Lt. Blake Starbuck. The aircraft was based at MCAS Miramar.
It's not known what caused the aircraft to crash. Photos show a large burned-out area around what appears to be the wreckage of the F-35, although it appears that the blaze is under control.
The incident was a "Class A mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity of MCAS Miramar," the U.S. Marines told Fox News. The pilot ejected and was recovered.
Starbuck told Fox News he did not immediately have information on the purpose of the flight, whether the aircraft was departing or arriving, whether it was conducting a training mission, or whether there were any injuries or fatalities.
It is not immediately clear what led to the crash.
It's unknown if this was a technical malfunction, pilot error, or some other cause.
As of this writing the Marine Corps has not offered any further information nor have they scheduled a press conference. We'll keep an eye on this and update you as events warrant.
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