A U.S. pilot was injured after an F-35 military fighter jet crashed while en route to a California airbase late Tuesday near an international airport in New Mexico. The Albuquerque Fire Department reported that the pilot was the only person aboard the fighter jet, and he was transported to the hospital in critical condition after the crash occurred at 2:00 PM local time near the largest city in New Mexico.
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the fighter jet, stated that the aircraft went down after the pilot stopped for refueling at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico during a flight from Whiteman Air Force Base in Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles. The incident marks the second such event involving a military aircraft in New Mexico within a month. An F-16 Falcon fighter jet crashed in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in April, resulting in minor injuries to the pilot who managed to eject before the aircraft fell.
