F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes at San Diego Airbase

The aircraft’s pilot managed to eject and has since been taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

Crews extinguish an F-35 fighter jet that crashed near the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., on July 31, 2026 Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet crashed on the flightline at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on July 31.

Emergency crews responded to the accident scene at around 10 a.m. PT on Friday, a spokesperson for the base told The Epoch Times.

The pilot of the aircraft managed to eject and has since been taken to a local medical facility for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

The aircraft was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing.

“It just blew up, it was crazy,” said Wade Lott, who saw the crash.

Lott watched two jets descend toward the runway as he drove to work. The first jet landed without issue. The second, however, began to slow down, and when it was about 100 feet from the ground, the pilot ejected, he said.

“The jet hit the ground right next to another plane,” said Lott. “It plowed into the runway and just blew up.”

The Marine Corps described the incident as a Class A mishap, the most severe category, applied when damage exceeds $2 million or an aircraft is destroyed.

As of 2026, 20 nations have placed orders for the three production variants of the F-35, and more than 1,340 have been delivered, according to the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.

The Marine Corps operates two variants of the Lightning II stealth fighter: the F-35B, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant; and the F-35C, the carrier variant.

The U.S. Navy also operates the F-35C, while the U.S. Air Force operates the F-35A.

A Ukrainian-operated F-16 Fighting Falcon also crashed this week. The Ukrainian Air Force said the aircraft was flying a combat mission to intercept Russian aerial targets when an emergency situation led the pilot to eject.

Lockheed Martin currently manufactures the F-16.

A crew of eight military personnel and government contractors was killed in June when a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed just after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California. The bomber was assigned to the Air Force’s 412th Test Wing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.