SRINAGAR: A US Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego on Friday after the pilot ejected safely, with the impact triggering a brush fire, military officials said.
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Myśliwiec F-35B Korpusu Piechoty Morskiej USA rozbił się w piątek na terenie bazy lotniczej w San Diego. Pilot zdołał się katapultować i został odnaleziony. Przyczyny katastrofy nie są jeszcze znane. pic.twitter.com/VHNYAvQBIX— WarNewsPL (@WarNewsPL1) August 1, 2026
The aircraft, assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Aircraft Group 11, went down at about 10 a.m. local time near the air station. The US Marine Corps described the incident as an “aircraft mishap”.
First Lieutenant Blake Starbuck told Fox News that the crash was a “Class A mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity of MCAS Miramar”. He said the pilot ejected successfully and was safely recovered after the aircraft crashed.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, military officials said.
Starbuck said he could not immediately confirm the purpose of the flight or whether the aircraft had been taking off, landing or conducting a training mission. He added that there was no immediate information on any injuries or fatalities linked to the incident.
Television footage broadcast by SkyRanger 7 showed the wreckage split into two large sections in the middle of a burnt field roughly the size of a football pitch. Large flames and thick black smoke were seen rising from the crash site north of State Route 52, making the fire visible to motorists travelling on the nearby highway.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said it assisted in containing the brush fire sparked by the crash. Officials said the military remains in charge of the crash site and will lead the investigation.
