An F-35B crashed on the runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Forth Worth, Texas, on Thursday. The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft, officials said.
“We responded to assist Lockheed Martin and Naval Air Station on a military aircraft crash where the pilot ejected. Update on pilot is that they are safe and under observation. Grateful for this news. We have opened up perimeter roads in the area,” White Settlement police Chief Christopher Cook tweeted.
“We are aware of the F-35B crash on the shared runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth and understand that the pilot ejected successfully,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol.”
The F-35B is operated by the United States Marine Corps. Houston Air Watch shared video of the crash on Twitter.
Last month, a supersonic jet crashed near its home base in Mississippi during a training exercise, killing no one but sending the pilot, who ejected from the aircraft, to the hospital for evaluation.
The T-38A Talon jet trainer crashed about 20 miles south of Columbus Air Force Base, a public affairs specialist for the base told the Associated Press.
The vice commander of the 14th Flying Training Wing, Col. Jeremy Bergin, said “we continuously train our pilots to react appropriately for all emergency situations such as the incident that occurred today.”
“We’re thankful the pilot ejected safely, and we appreciate the continued support of the Columbus community and our community partners,” he added.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
