A Marine Corps fighter plane crashed Friday morning at a military base in Southern California, causing a small fire but leaving no fatalities, U.S. authorities said.
Pilot managed to eject
The ship, an F-35B, assigned to Air Group 11 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed to the ground around 10:00 a.m. (local time) at Miramar Air Base, located in San Diego, California.
Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Steven Keenan said the pilot, the only person on board, activated the ejection seat and managed to abandon the aircraft before impact.
The airman was taken to a local medical center in stable condition to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, military authorities reported in a message broadcast on X.
Authorities investigate the accident
The accident caused a small fire a short distance from the runway at Miramar Air Base, the largest installation of the United States Marine Corps, according to images broadcast by NBC San Diego.
So far, military authorities have not reported what caused the F-35B to crash, so an investigation was opened to determine the causes of the accident.
The aircraft involved belongs to one of the most advanced combat platforms in the US military arsenal and is part of the Marines' regular training and deployment operations.
