F-35 crashes near Miramar, pilot ejects and is hospitalized

An F-35 crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and the pilot ejected, was recovered and was being transported to a medical facility. The U.S. Marine Corps called the incident a "mishap" as responders moved in around the smoking jet and a small fire that followed the impact.

Aerial images showed the aircraft on the ground in an open field beside scorched vegetation, with response vehicles gathered nearby. The fire was contained at a small scale, but the scene underscored how quickly a single loss can ripple through a base that handles some of the Marine Corps’ most advanced aviation hardware.

Miramar is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and has become a key Marine aviation hub for the F-35B Lightning II. Marine Corps media said the F-35B landed at MCAS Miramar for the first time on July 30, a marker of how central the stealth fighter has become to the installation’s future force structure.

The crash places renewed attention on a base that has seen serious military aviation accidents before. In August 2023, a Marine F/A-18 crash near Miramar killed the pilot, and earlier incidents at the installation have also led to investigations. That history gives added weight to any review of the latest F-35 mishap, especially at a site where Marine aviation readiness and public confidence are closely linked.

The F-35 is one of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons programs, and every crash draws scrutiny beyond the immediate scene. At Miramar, the loss comes just as the F-35B is being integrated more visibly into Marine operations, making the pilot’s ejection, the fire and the recovery effort more than a routine base emergency.