Pilot safe following F-35 crash at Eielson Air Force Base

An F-35 fighter jet that experienced an in-flight malfunction crashed early Tuesday afternoon at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, according to the U.S. Air Force.

The pilot declared an emergency and ejected prior to the crash just before 1 p.m. as the plane came in for a landing, Eielson officials said at a media briefing Tuesday.

The pilot was “safe” in stable condition and undergoing a medical evaluation Tuesday afternoon, said Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing. The pilot was transported to Bassett Army Hospital in Fairbanks for further evaluation and had been released as of Wednesday, Eielson officials said.

Asked about earlier reports that described the pilot as unhurt, Townsend said he wasn’t ready to comment on any specific injuries.

A pilot in the area described a black column of smoke following the fiery crash. Both ambulance and fire crews responded, base officials said.

“We are thankful that the pilot and those responding to the incident are safe,” Townsend said. An investigation is underway into the cause of the malfunction, he said.

The pilot was participating in a training in local airspace when the crash occurred, Townsend said.

The F-35s are long-range supersonic fighter jets with stealth capability that can reach anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in one mission.

There are 54 of the fighter jets stationed at Eielson, which is located about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks. The last two arrived at the base in 2022.

Two squadrons of F-22 Raptor fighter jets are also stationed with the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage.

The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s “latest fifth-generation fighter” that replaced an aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, according to an Eielson fact sheet.

The average price of one new F-35 was set at roughly $81 million in a preliminary deal for a large order of new aircraft between the U.S. Department of Defense and manufacturer Lockheed Martin as reported in December by Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Officials on Tuesday asked the public not to stop on the Richardson Highway adjacent to the base because it “poses a safety risk and impedes recovery efforts” and noted that federal law prohibits photography along that section of highway.

Townsend said an accident investigation board will convene to look into cause of the crash and a safety investigation will also be conducted “that looks at it from a safety perspective to see what we can do to prevent further incidents or mishaps.”

There have been a number of crashes involving the stealth fighter jets in recent years, including one in 2023 in South Carolina that sparked a search after the plane proved hard to find.

A U.S. Marine Corps investigation found the jet that had an electrical malfunction and the pilot became disoriented, according to reporting in Military.com.

A test pilot was seriously injured by another F-35 crash near Albuquerque’s airport in May 2024 after taking off from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Asked if Tuesday’s crash affected Eielson’s faith in the F-35, Townsend said the base “will continue to look at the investigation and do our best to uncover any of the things that might have contributed to the incident. But right now, I can stand and say that I have full faith in the capabilities of the F-35A.”