F-35 Crashes at Eglin Air Force Base, Pilot Ejects Successfully

Foreign Affairs
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Washington: For the second time in four days a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) has crashed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron crashed upon landing around 9:30 pm on May 19 at Eglin, according to a media release. The pilot successfully ejected and was transported to the 96th Medical Group Hospital at Eglin for evaluation and monitoring.

The pilot is in stable condition. At the time of the accident, the pilot was participating in a routine night training sortie, the release said.

The accident is under investigation. There was no loss of life or damage to civilian property. The name of the pilot is not being released this time.

The F-35A variant cost about US$90 million.

On May 17, an F-22 Raptor from Eglin crashed on the base’s test and training range, but its pilot is safe and in stable condition.

The pilot of the F-22 safely ejected, and was taken to the 96th Medical Group hospital at the base for evaluation and observation, Eglin said in a release. The pilot is in stable condition, but was not identified by Eglin.