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F-35 fighter jet crashes near San Diego Marine Corps base, sparking fire - CBS News
Technology and ScienceBy Kerry Breen7/31/20261 min read
An aerial photo shows a smoking F-35 fighter jet next to scorched vegetation in a field at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
✨ Key Highlights
- An F-35 fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Friday, July 31, 2026, igniting a small fire, according to a Marine Corps spokesperson.
- The pilot ejected safely, was recovered, and was being taken to a medical facility; the individual, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, has not been identified, and the cause of the crash remains unclear.
- Aerial imagery showed the smoking aircraft in an open field with its hatch open, while KFMB-TV helicopter footage and verified social media video captured black smoke as responders sprayed fire retardant.
- Miramar, located about 10 miles north of San Diego, is home to more than 15,000 Marines, sailors and civilians and serves as headquarters of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
- The incident follows a 2023 crash in which Maj. Andrew Mettler died after ejecting from an F/A-18 Hornet near the base, with his body found after an hourslong search by the Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue.
- F-35s, used by the Air Force, Navy and Marines and costing roughly $100 million each, have been involved in several recent crashes, including a July 2025 ejection in Fresno County and a January 2025 in-flight emergency at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.
An F-35 fighter jet crashed near a Marine Corps base in San Diego on Friday, sparking a small fire. A Marine Corps spokesperson said the pilot ejected, was recovered, and is being transported to a me