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.
severe accident that either results in death, permanent disability, aircraft loss, or equipment damage of $2.5 million or more
The spokesman could not say if the pilot had been injured in the incident, or if anyone else was hurt. But he said the US military would provide further details at a later time.
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.