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Following a fiery crash near Naval Air Station Lemoore in Southern California, a Navy pilot is reported safe after an F-35C fighter jet went down, prompting a response from CAL Fire.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, NAS Lemoore confirmed “an aviation incident on the operations side of the installation” occurred.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the jet crashed in a field near the intersection of South Dickenson Avenue and West Cadillac Ave and caught fire.
“We can confirm the pilot successfully ejected and is safe. There are no additional affected personnel,” NAS Lemoore stated on Facebook.
A pilot associated with Naval Air Station Lemoore’s “Rough Raiders” is safe after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet before it crashed and burst into flames in a field near the base on Wednesday. (Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The crash led to a small grass fire covering about ten acres, as per a CAL Fire incident report. The fire was fully contained by 8:32 p.m. local time.
Details regarding the cause of the crash were not immediately available.
NAS Lemoore, which is the Navy’s largest Master Jet Base, houses over a dozen squadrons for training and operational purposes.
A U.S. Navy F-35 crashed in California on Wednesday, but the pilot managed to safely eject, officials say. (Fresno County Sheriff’s Office)
The base mentioned on Facebook that the F-35C involved in the incident was linked to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 “Rough Raiders,” a specialized training unit.
NAS Lemoore is the sole Navy base that accommodates the F-35 Lightning II, as stated on its website. It is also the home to more than half of the branch’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.
The F-35 was associated with the VFA-125 “Rough Raiders” out of Naval Air Station Lemoore in Fresno County, California. (SONG KYUNG-SEOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sixteen operational Strike Fighter squadrons, two Fleet Replacement squadrons, one Search and Rescue squadron, four west coast Carrier Air Wing Commands, and staff operate from the base.
The base is situated in Fresno County.
Fox News Digital reached out to NAS Lemoore but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
