Fighter jet crashes in Florida; pilot ejects and survives

TAMPA, Fla. – An Air Force fighter jet crashed while landing at a Florida base, but the pilot was able to eject and survived.

The F-35A Lightning II crashed Tuesday night on the base as the pilot returned from a routine training flight, the public affairs office at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle said in a news release.

The pilot ejected before the crash and is hospitalized in stable condition, the base said.

The pilot is a member of the 58th Fighter Squadron. The pilot’s name was not released.

The crash came four days after an F-22 fighter crashed 12 miles (near 20 kilometres) from the base. That pilot also ejected and survived.

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This story has been updated to correct that Eglin Air Force Base is located in the Florida Panhandle.