Home Air F-35A crashes at Hill Air Force Base, pilot ejects

F-35A crashes at Hill Air Force Base, pilot ejects

F-35 crash in Utah
US Air Force file photo of an F-35 Lightning II assigned to Hill Air Force Bases 388th Fighter Wing and 419th Fighter Wing

An F-35 A Lightning II fighter crashed at the north end of Hill Air Force Base runway in the evening hours of October 19.

According to the 388th Fighter Wing, one of the units flying F-35As from the base, the pilot ejected and was recovered and taken to a local medical center for observation.

It is still unclear what caused the crash and the accident is currently being investigated.

Utah Fire Info said the fire that was caused by the crash had been suppressed by Weber Co., who would continue with Haz-Mat and other needs.

According to local reports, the fighter jet flew close to the homes in the residential area adjacent to the base, but the pilot managed to avoid them.

The Air Force noted that the accident marked the first F-35A that has crashed at Hill AFB and the first crash at Hill Air Force Base since an F-16 crash in 2009.

Hill is the Air Force’s third largest base by population and size, and is home to many operational and support missions. While it is the third in size, the base calls itself home for the most F-35 fighter aircraft.