US fighter jet crashes near California military base

A United States F-35 fighter jet on Friday crashed near a military base in San Diego, but the pilot was able to eject before impact.

Marine Corps spokesperson, Steven Keenan, made this known in a statement on Friday.

He said, “There was an aviation mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at about 10:00 am (1700 GMT).

“The pilot was ejected and has been recovered.”

Meanwhile, a later statement from the military base said the pilot had been transported to a medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

DAILY POST reports that footage went viral on social media showing a plume of smoke rising from the aircraft, as firefighters were deployed to douse the flames.

MCAS Miramar is known around the world as the one-time home of the US Navy’s “Top Gun” school for elite pilots, immortalized in the 1986 film “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise.

Each F-35B, the variant of the stealth fighter jet with vertical takeoff and landing capability is said to cost about $109 million.