Shocking images and videos on social media show an American stealth fighter jet crashing on the north end of the runway at Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in northern Utah.
The 388th Fighter Wing confirmed an F-35 A Lightning II crashed at 1815 local time Wednesday while on a routine training mission. 388th Fighter Wing Commander, Col. Craig R. Andrle, said the pilot safely ejected.
“First and foremost, we’re thankful that he’s okay [and] that he got out of the aircraft. “We’re thankful that nobody on the ground was injured and we’ll start the process of figuring out what happened from here,” Andrle said.
A tweet from Utah Fire Info said a 10-acre fire broke out around the crash site while Haz-Mat crews suppressed the blaze.
Nearby resident Scott Phillips told CNN he saw the stealth fighter plummet out of the sky:
“I was at my home …. mowing the lawn and watching the F-35 come in for landing as they do basically every night. We love watching them leave and come home.
“They land generally towards the south as they did today. On approach, one appeared to lose power and dipped too low below the trees. Next thing I saw was fire.”
Multiple security cameras from a nearby residential community appear to have captured the moment of the crash.
Someone snapped images of the F-35 mangled in pieces on the ground.
The cause of the crash has yet to be officially announced, though we did hear from one person who witnessed it. Perhaps engine failure is the culprit. At least the ejection seat worked.