F-35 stealth jet crashes near Eglin Air Force Base, pilot OK

Author: RYAN BROWNE, CNN
Published: Updated:
F-35 Stealth Jet
F-35 Stealth Jet. (Credit: CNN)

An F-35 jet crashed during a routine exercise near Eglin Air Force Base in Florida late Tuesday, the second crash involving an advanced aircraft in less than a week.

The F-35 pilot “successfully ejected” and was taken to a hospital on Eglin Air Force Base “for evaluation and monitoring,” the Air Force said in a statement, describing the pilot as being in a “stable condition.”

The aircraft “was participating in a routine night training sortie,” according to the statement, which said, “there was no loss of life or damage to civilian property.”

The F-35A is one of the most advanced aircraft in the US military’s inventory, and crashes involving the jet are rare.

On Friday, a F-22 fighter jet also crashed near Eglin Air Force Base during a training exercise.

Both accidents are under investigation.

The Air Force’s variant of the F-35 currently has a per unit cost of about $90 million.

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