CALIFORNIA – A U.S. Navy F-35C fighter jet crashed Wednesday afternoon near Naval Air Station Lemoore in Central California, according to a Navy statement. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m.
The pilot successfully ejected and received assistance at the scene from emergency crews and Cal Fire, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The F-35C, valued at approximately $100 million, belonged to Squadron VF-125 “Rough Raiders,” a unit responsible for training carrier-based pilots and aircrew. Local media images showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site, located in flat farmland about 40 miles southwest of Fresno.
This marks the second F-35 crash in 2025. In January, an Air Force F-35A went down in Alaska during a training mission; the pilot also survived.
The cause of the California crash remains under investigation.
