US Navy's Stealth F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes In California's Fresno County: VIDEO

US Military Aircraft Crash Video: An F-35C fighter jet crashed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. Details on the incident are awaited.

An F-35 fighter jet has crashed in the US (Representative image).

Source : Wikimedia Commons

An F-35 fighter jet reportedly crashed in the US on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred at Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California's Fresno County, according to ABC News.

An airbase spokesperson was quoted as saying that the pilot managed to successfully eject and is safe. "There are no additional affected personnel," the airbase said in a statement signed by NAS Lemoore Public Affairs Officer Sarah Thrasher.

The aircraft, an F-35C, was attached to the Strike Fighter Squadron 125, aka VFA-125 and 'Rough Raiders'.

An investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the crash.

Thick smoke could be seen at the crash site. See the video below:

🚨#BREAKING: emergency officials are on the scene after a United States military f-35 jet has crash and burst into flames

📌#Fresno | #California

At this time military officials and emergency crews are currently on scene at Lemoore Naval Air Station in Fresno County,… pic.twitter.com/XCRg0BUv2y

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 31, 2025

Lockheed Martin, which is the US's defence contractor, is the manufacturer of F-35 jets. The company is yet to issue a statement.

Incident Days After Passenger Plane Crash

Wednesday's incident came just four days after a small plane plunged into the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Monterey County, killing all three people on board.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Beechcraft B-95-B55, went down roughly 300 yards off Point Pinos near Pacific Grove around 11 p.m., prompting an emergency response from the US Coast Guard and local authorities. By the time rescuers reached the scene, there were no survivors.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed the identities of those killed. Steve Eugene Clatterbuck, 60, was from Salinas. James Vincent, 36, and Jamie Lee Tabscott, 44, were both residents of Monterey.

According to data from FlightAware.com, the plane had departed from San Carlos Airport at 10:11 p.m. and was last tracked near Monterey at 10:36 p.m., just minutes before the crash. What exactly went wrong in that short window remains under investigation.

The crash site’s proximity to shore allowed for a swift recovery operation. The Coast Guard, local fire crews, and law enforcement were all involved in retrieving the wreckage and victims from the water.

It’s still unclear what caused the plane to go down.