An F-35B fighter jet crashed Friday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, according to local reports.
The aircraft reportedly caught fire, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air and causing the pilot to eject. Local media in San Diego noticed the smoke in the late morning.
The jet was part of a group of six aircraft returning from a mission in the Middle East when the crash occurred. It was assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aircraft Group 11, according to Fox 5/KUSI.
Footage from the scene shows local emergency response crews using water cannons on the wreckage of the aircraft.
The pilot successfully ejected and was taken to a medical facility, a Marine Corps spokesman said. The service hasn’t released additional information, although the incident is under investigation.
The other five jets were reportedly able to reroute safely to RAF Lossiemouth.
Marine Corps officials told Fox 5/KUSI that the incident was a “Class A mishap,” which is defined as a severe incident that results in death, permanent disability, loss of aircraft or damage of $2.5 million or more.
The F-35B has an average flyaway cost of $109 million, according to figures published by the F-35 Joint Program Office.
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