F-35 Crashes Near Navy Base

Pilot ejected from the aircraft and was not injured.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 11:59 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

F-35 Lightning II [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A U.S. Navy F-35C fighter jet crashed near Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California on Wednesday evening.
The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft and is safe, with no additional personnel affected by the incident.
The cause of the crash, involving the approximately $100 million aircraft, is currently under investigation.

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A U.S. Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed near Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California on Wednesday, military officials confirmed.

“At 1830 [6:30 p.m. PDT], an F-35C attached to the VFA-125 Rough Raiders went down not far from NAS Lemoore,” the base said in a statement. “We can confirm the pilot successfully ejected and is safe. There are no additional affected personnel.”