Emergency crews rushed to the crash site of the F-35 military fighter jet at the Albuquerque International Sunport, New Mexico.
A pilot was seriously injured in the crash and was found and transported while fighting a fire, Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) reported on X. He suffered injuries after ejecting from the fighter jet. Rescuers took him to the University of New Mexico hospital.
The $135-million fighter jet crashed into the ground and caught fire around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28. The aircraft was flying from a Lockheed Martin facility at the Naval Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base in California.
AFR and Bernalillo County firefighters battled the flames but needed assistance from Kirtland Air Force Base, Lt. Jason Fejer reported.
We carry 500 gallons of water on our apparatus and small foam tanks, but it’s no match for a jet fuel fire of that scope.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident, the fire service said.
According to KOB4, Lockheed Martin confirmed that the F-35B crashed near the airfield on the south side of the airport after stopping to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base.
This is the second military aircraft crash in New Mexico in recent months. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon worth about $63 million crashed in a remote area near the Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state.
Kirtland Air Force Base is located on the southern edge of Albuquerque. The base houses the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. It is also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory.
