01 August 2026 , 15:33
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A fighter jet crashed in San Diego on Friday after suffering a “class A mishap,” according to officials.
The F-35B assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of Marine Aircraft Group 11 crashed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar around 10 a.m. PT, a spokesperson for MCAS Miramar said.
The crash sparked a fire in a field on the base, according to the spokesperson. The base fire department referred inquiries to the MCAS public affairs office, which had no updates on the size of the blaze or when it was knocked down.
The pilot was ejected and taken to a medical facility for evaluation and treatment of injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement. The Marine aviator was said to be stable.
Images of the crash show what appears to be the charred F-35B shrouded in smoke and surrounded by burned grass.
It is unclear what caused the crash.
A spokesperson for the Marine Corps described the crash in a statement as “class A mishap,” the most severe category of military and federal incidents.
The F-35B is a single-seat, short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft with stealth capabilities that can accelerate to 1,200 mph and use temporary airfields and some military vessels.
“It acts as the quarterback of the skies — integrating air, land, sea, space, and cyber operations,” its maker, Lockheed Martin, says in promotional material.
It has helped to replace the British-developed Harrier, phased out in June.
The cost of an F-35B, including spare parts and maintenance, is $135.8 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Marine Aircraft Group 11 provides offense, anti-aircraft warfare, and aerial reconnaissance to U.S. military missions while also training Marine and Navy fighter pilots, according to the corps.
Deputy Editor