Pilot comes unharmed after F-35 combat plane accident seen in a dramatic video

CNN
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A United States Air Force pilot escaped safe and except after an F-35 combat plane crashed during a training mission at the Eielson Air Force base in Alaska on Tuesday, authorities said.

The pilot suffered a “failure during the flight”, but managed to eject, according to Colonel Paul Towsend, Commander of the 354th Fighter Wing. The plane fell during the flight landing phase, Towsend said at a press conference.

The pilot declared an emergency during the flight before the accident and it was reported that it was in stable condition after being transported to a medical center, Towsend said.

“The pilot is safe and has been transferred to the Bassett Army Hospital for a more exhaustive evaluation,” he added. “I can assure you that the United States Air Force will carry out an exhaustive investigation in the hope of minimizing the possibilities that facts like this occur again.”

The 354th Fighter Wing confirmed in a statement that the “air incident” occurred at 12:49 pm local time, “resulting in significant damage to the aircraft.”

The base of the Eielson Air Force, located about 40 kilometers south of Fairbanks, serves as an operational center for more than fifty of these fifth generation aircraft.

The dramatic incident was captured in video and occurred when the plane approached land. The images, apparently filmed from the base runway near Fairbanks, show the plane built by Lockheed Martin, circling in closed circles with the extended landing gear while collapsed almost vertically towards the ground until it crashed causing a Huge column of flames. In the recording you can see an open parachute, which indicates the ejection of the pilot.

The F-35, the cornerstone of the US military fleet, is praised for its advanced stealth and combat capabilities and provides service to the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines body. However, in recent years it has been the subject of greater scrutiny.

In May, an F-35 combat plane that flew from Texas to the Edwards Air Base in California crashed shortly after a stop to refue in New Mexico, said Associated Press. The pilot suffered serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital to receive treatment.

In a separate incident that occurred in October, an investigation of Marines’s body determined that a pilot eject from an F-35 when it was not necessary, letting the aircraft fly autonomously for 11 minutes before crashing into a remote area of ​​Carolina South, according to AP.