BREAKING: F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes Near San Diego Marine Corps Base

On Friday, an F-35 fighter jet crashed near the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA.

Thankfully, the pilot ejected and will be okay.

But, the jet erupted into flames causing a fire on the air base.

A fighter jet crashed in San Diego on Friday after suffering a “class A mishap,” according to officials.

The F-35B assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of Marine Aircraft Group 11 crashed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar around 10 a.m. PT, a spokesperson for MCAS Miramar said.

The crash sparked a fire in a field on the base, according to the spokesperson. The base fire department referred inquiries to the MCAS public affairs office, which had no updates on the size of the blaze or when it was knocked down.

The pilot was ejected and taken to a medical facility for evaluation and treatment of injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement. The Marine aviator was said to be stable.

Here’s some footage of the aftermath:

The U.S. Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. The jet went down Friday near the Miramar air base in San Diego pic.twitter.com/HYAc7U0Cvu

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 31, 2026

Aerial footage captured by FOX 5 San Diego shows the burned out, smoldering wreckage of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning ll that crashed earlier at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California. pic.twitter.com/PjS8SykDvM

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 31, 2026

At this time, it is unknown what caused the crash.

But, this isn’t the first incident in recent years at the air base.

CBS News noted:

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is about 10 miles north of San Diego. The base is home to over 15,000 Marines, sailors and civilians, and is the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

In 2023, a Marine Corps pilot died after ejecting from his jet near the base. The pilot was the only person aboard the F/A-18 Hornet. The craft crashed on government property just before midnight local time, officials said at the time, and the pilot was found dead after an hourslong search by the U.S. Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The pilot was later identified as Maj. Andrew Mettler.

F-35s are used by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines. Each jet costs about $100 million. Other crashes involving the planes have made headlines in recent years.

A pilot ejected from his fighter jet in California’s Fresno County in July 2025. The crash caused a small grass fire, but the pilot was safely recovered. In January 2025, an Air Force pilot experienced an “in-flight emergency” while flying an F-35 craft during a training mission at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Video reviewed by CBS News showed the plane twirling toward the ground, then exploding upon impact. The pilot was able to eject and parachute safely to the ground.

In 2024, a Marine Corps pilot ejected from an F-35 after experiencing a series of technical malfunctions during a heavy rainstorm. The plane continued to fly by itself for over 11 minutes, covering about 70 miles, before crashing and causing damage to some private land. The pilot landed safely in a driveway and called 911. The crash site was found one day later. An investigation found the pilot had acted improperly by ejecting.

Fox News covered the story further in this clip:

🚨 NOW: The F-35 pilot has been SAFELY RECOVERED after ejecting, as the craft crashed down in California

Thank GOD 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/p0WLGykOAI

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 31, 2026