Los Angeles, California - A US F-35 fighter jet crashed on Friday near a military base in San Diego, California, but the pilot was able to eject before impact, military officials said.

"There was an aviation mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity" of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at about 10:00 AM local time (1:00 PM ET), a spokesman for the base told AFP.

"The pilot was ejected and has been recovered and is en route to a medical facility."

According to Fox 5, the incident was referred to as a "Class A mishap," which refers to serious accidents that result in death, permanent disability, the loss of an aircraft, or damage to equipment upwards of $2.5 million.

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A later statement from the military base said the pilot had been transported to a medical facility "in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries."

The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed.

Footage circulated on social media showed a plume of smoke rising from the aircraft, as firefighters were deployed to douse the flames.

MCAS Miramar is known around the world as the one-time home of the US Navy's "Top Gun" school for elite pilots, immortalized in the 1986 film Top Gun starring Tom Cruise.