F-35 Fighter Jet Crashes Off Albuquerque Airport, Pilot Severely Injured

An F-35 jet arrives at its new operational base at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah on Sept. 2, 2015. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

A military aircraft crashed on Tuesday near Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, causing severe injuries to the pilot, according to local authorities.

The plane “crashed off of the airfield on the southside” of Albuquerque International Sunport around 2 p.m. (local time), and the pilot was the only person onboard, according to the airport.

“Flight operations have resumed, but check with your airline for flight status,” the airport stated on the social media platform X.

The pilot was able to escape the aircraft before it crashed, and has since been transported to the hospital “for serious injuries,” Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesperson Lt. Jason Fejer said in a social media video. 

Lt. Fejer said that two unnamed civilians were evaluated at the scene, but neither needed to be transferred to the hospital. He did not explain why they were evaluated.

The pilot’s identity has not been disclosed. The cause of the crash also remains unknown.

Lockheed Martin told news outlets that the downed plane was an F-35B fighter jet that was traveling from Forth Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, California. It stated that the plane crashed after a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Bernalillo County Fire Rescue and the Kirtland Air Force Base Fire Department also responded to the crash and helped to extinguish the fire at the site, according to Lt. Fejer.

“Grateful for the rapid action of the first responders who arrived [at] the scene. Praying for the pilot,” Albuquerque’s Mayor Tim Keller stated on X following the plane crash.

Lt. Fejer said the road on University and south of Rio Bravo would be shut down for an extended period while Kirtland Air Force Base and the Federal Aviation Administration conduct an investigation into the crash.

“So we’re advising people to please avoid the area, let this investigation run its course,” he added.

This incident marks the second military plane crash to occur in New Mexico following an April 30 crash, which involved an F-16 Fighting Falcon that went down west of Holloman Air Force Base near White Sands National Park.

The sole pilot onboard ejected from the aircraft before it crashed and was taken to the hospital for medical care, according to a statement released by the U.S. Air Force. The pilot was later discharged with minor injuries.