F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes Off Albuquerque Airport, Pilot Severely Injured

The pilot was able to escape the aircraft before it crashed.

An F-35 jet arrives at its new operational base at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah on Sept. 2, 2015. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

A military aircraft crashed on Tuesday near Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, causing severe injuries to the pilot, according to local authorities.

The plane “crashed off of the airfield on the southside” of Albuquerque International Sunport around 2 p.m. (local time), and the pilot was the only person onboard, according to the airport.