F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes At Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base During Training Exercise

A U.S. Air Force pilot was reported to be safe after a single-seat F-35 fighter jet crashed Tuesday during a training exercise at a base in Alaska.

The pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but was able to eject from the aircraft, Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, told a news conference. The plane crashed during the landing phase of the flight at Eielson Air Force Base, he said.

Townsend said in the statement said the Air Force would conduct “a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.”