Nothing says "Friday afternoon" quite like a $100 million stealth fighter jet turning into a very expensive bonfire in a field near San Diego. An F-35 went down close to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Friday, as first reported here, producing a massive column of black smoke that was probably visible from space, or at least from every local news helicopter within a fifty mile radius.
The good news? The pilot punched out before impact and was picked up by first responders. The Marine Corps confirmed that the aviator, who belonged to Marine Aircraft Group 11 under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was transported to a medical facility with injuries that were not life threatening. So thankfully, the only total loss here was the aircraft itself, which, again, costs roughly one hundred million dollars depending on which variant you're talking about. That's a lot of taxpayer money smoldering in an open field.
Photos from the scene showed the charred wreckage sitting in what looked like a clearing near the base, surrounded by firefighters and military personnel doing their best to contain the situation. Local TV choppers captured footage of crews hosing down the blaze and spraying fire retardant around the crash site, which is the kind of content that really livens up a Friday evening newscast. Social media users also shared video of the enormous smoke plume, because of course they did.
Miramar sits roughly ten miles north of downtown San Diego and serves as headquarters for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The installation is home to over 15,000 Marines, sailors, and civilian workers, so there was no shortage of witnesses to what was probably the most dramatic thing to happen on base that day.
This latest incident adds to a growing highlight reel of problems involving the F-35 program. The stealth jet is operated by all three major branches of the military, and each one costs about as much as a small island. You would think for that price tag they could keep these things airborne a little more consistently, but here we are.
The crash also brought back painful memories of a 2023 tragedy at the same installation. Marine Corps Maj. Andrew Mettler lost his life after ejecting from an F/A-18 Hornet that went down on government property near the base during a training flight. He was the sole occupant of the aircraft. His remains were recovered following an extensive search that involved the U.S. Coast Guard and the San Diego Fire Rescue Department.
The cause of Friday's F-35 crash is still being investigated. One can only imagine the paperwork involved when you have to explain how a hundred million dollar aircraft ended up as scrap metal in a California field. Someone at the Pentagon is having a very long weekend.
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