Pilot Safe After F-35 Military Jet Suffers ‘Significant Damage’ in Accident at Alaska Base

U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs on the fourth day of the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, on Feb. 16, 2023. Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—A U.S. Air Force pilot was reported to be safe after a single-seat F-35 fighter jet crashed Tuesday during a training exercise at a base in Alaska.

The pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but was able to eject from the aircraft, Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, told a news conference. The plane crashed during the landing phase of the flight at Eielson Air Force Base, he said.