An F-35B fighter jet crashed near Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), New Mexico, on May 28, 2024. The incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. local time after the aircraft had taken off from Runway 21. The pilot successfully ejected and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but was reported to be conscious and breathing.
The F-35B, a developmental test aircraft owned by Lockheed Martin, was en route from Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, California, when it made a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. According to Lockheed Martin, the aircraft crashed soon after resuming its flight. “Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol,” Lockheed Martin stated.
🚨#BREAKING: A military F-35 fighter aircraft has crashed at Albuquerque International Airport, causing a huge explosion.
📌#Albuquerque | #NewMexico
Currently, numerous emergency crews are on the scene after a military F-35 fighter jet crashed at or near Albuquerque… pic.twitter.com/pkPgB0qjES
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 28, 2024
Albuquerque Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Lt. Jason Fejer confirmed that the pilot was transported to the hospital categorized as “red,” indicating serious injuries requiring immediate attention. Two civilians were also assessed at the scene; one refused treatment, while the other was a non-patient struck by debris.
On May 28 at 13:54 AFR, BCFR & Kirtland AFB responded to University south of Rio Bravo for a plane crash. BCFR and AFR’s Batt 1 confirmed a downed aircraft on fire. The pilot was located & transported while fire was extinguished. Scene has been turned over to Kirtland. pic.twitter.com/P0aaMvuod0
— Albuquerque Fire (@abqfire) May 29, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has directed inquiries to the Marine Corps, given that the F-35B is a model used primarily by the Marine Corps. This particular aircraft type is designed for short take-off and vertical landing, making it unique among the F-35 variants, which include the F-35A used by the Air Force and the F-35C flown by both the Navy and Marine Corps.
Footage from the crash site showed emergency teams working to extinguish the fire caused by the crash. The aircraft, a single-seat model, had no other crew members on board. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
#BREAKING A F-35 fighter jet just crashed during takeoff at Albuquerque International, New Mexico.
Pilot reportedly ejected. pic.twitter.com/eAFSmgWJ00
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 28, 2024
The incident follows previous crashes involving F-35 aircraft. Notably, on September 17, 2023, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B crashed in South Carolina after the pilot ejected due to a malfunction, and on December 15, 2022, an F-35B crashed during a vertical landing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas. Both incidents involved developmental models owned by Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 program has faced scrutiny over performance and cost issues. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently highlighted that the aircraft’s mission-capable rate was about 55% as of March 2023. Despite these challenges, the Pentagon plans to buy approximately 2,500 F-35s by the mid-2040s, with the program’s total cost estimated at $2 trillion for procurement and maintenance until the fleet’s planned retirement in 2088.
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