For the second time in four days a fifth-generation fighter jet has crashed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron crashed upon landing around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at Eglin, according to a media release. The pilot successfully ejected and was transported to the 96th Medical Group Hospital at Eglin for evaluation and monitoring.
The pilot was released from the hospital early Wednesday morning, said 1st Lt. Savannah Stephens, a spokeswoman for the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin.
At the time of the accident, the pilot was participating in a routine night training sortie, according to the release.
First responders from the 96th Test Wing are on the scene and the site is secured.
The accident is under investigation, and Stephens said Wednesday a safety board is now being stood up. There was no loss of life or damage to civilian property. The name of the pilot is not being released this time.
Stephens said there is now no indication what caused the crash.
The F-35A variant cost about $90 million.
On Friday, An F-22 Raptor from Eglin crashed on the base’s test and training range, but its pilot is safe and in stable condition.
The pilot of the F-22 safely ejected, and was taken to the 96th Medical Group hospital at the base for evaluation and observation, Eglin said in a release. The pilot is in stable condition, but was not identified by Eglin.
The $150 million jet was from the 43rd Fighter Squadron, part of the 325th Fighter Wing that is now based at Eglin. The range where it crashed is about 12 miles northeast of Eglin’s main base.
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The pilot was flying a routine training flight with the 33rd Fighter Wing when it crashed at 9:15 a.m., Eglin said in the release. First responders from the 96th Test Wing arrived at the scene, and an investigation is under way.
Eglin said there was no one else on board, and there was no loss of life or damage to civilian property.
This F-22 was not part of a formation flight that also took off from Eglin Friday morning, the base said. That formation flight included another F-22, an F-35 and a T-38, and flew over Dade County and Panama City.
This is a developing story. Stay with Air Force Times for updates.
Howard Altman is an award-winning editor and reporter who was previously the military reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and before that the Tampa Tribune, where he covered USCENTCOM, USSOCOM and SOF writ large among many other topics.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
