By Brad Lendon, CNN
A US Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed in central California Wednesday near Naval Air Station Lemoore, according to a Navy press statement.
The pilot ejected safely, and the cause of the crash, which occurred around 6:30 pm, is under investigation, the statement said.
Video from CNN affiliate KFSN showed fire and thick black smoke rising from the crash site in flat, open farmland near the air station, around 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of the city of Fresno in central California.
A local EMS crew was at the scene helping the pilot, and Cal Fire also responded, a Fresno County sheriff’s Office statement said.
The aircraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron VF-125, known as the “Rough Raiders,” the Navy said. VF-125 is a Fleet Replacement Squadron, responsible for training pilots and aircrew.
The crashed jet was an F-35C, one of three variants of the F-35 Lightning II, designed for use on US aircraft carriers. The US Air Force flies the F-35A while the Marine Corps flies the F-35B, a short takeoff, vertical landing jet.
The crash of the aircraft, priced at around $100 million, was the second of an F-35 this year. An Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska in January during a training mission. The pilot also ejected safely in that incident.
The F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet and one of the world’s most advanced warplanes, is a cornerstone of the US military’s fleet.
Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, it’s lauded for its advanced stealth and combat capabilities.
The Air Force has 246 F-35s in its fleet, the Marines Corps has 122 and the Navy has 41, according to the World Air Forces database on FlightGlobal.com. Worldwide, more than 17 countries are part of the F-35 program, Lockheed Martin says.
But the jet has faced increased scrutiny in recent years over maintenance and readiness issues.
A January 2025 report from the Defense Department’s Director, Operational Test and Evaluation shows all variants of the multimillion-dollar jets fail to meet requirements for reliability, maintainability and availability.
“The operational suitability of the F-35 fleet continues to fall short of Service expectations,” the report said.
Meanwhile, an online database of F-35 accidents and mishaps from F-16.net shows 20 incidents involving the aircraft from 2014 to 2024.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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