Pilot Ejects from F-35B Fighter After Hard Landing

A video of the incident showed the fighter hovering before landing, bouncing, then tipping over on its nose before the pilot ejected.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 06:02 PM ET

Verified

Authorities at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego are investigating the possible crash of a F-35 assigned to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, Marine Air Group 11. [Credit: U.S. Marine Corps]

Key Takeaways:

An F-35B fighter jet made a hard landing and crashed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas.
The pilot successfully ejected from the STO/VL variant aircraft after it bounced, tipped, and skidded.
The incident, involving an F-35B Lightning II flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, occurred shortly after 10:15 a.m. CST.
Lockheed Martin confirmed the pilot's successful ejection and stated that an investigation protocol would be followed, with local police assisting with traffic closures.

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A F-35B pilot made an emergency ejection after the fighter jet made a hard landing Thursday morning at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas.

A video of the incident showed the short takeoff and vertical landing (STO/VL) variant fighter coming down for a landing, bouncing then tipping over on its nose and skidding around on its wing before the pilot ejected into the clear.