Second plane crash at Eglin AFB – pilot safely ejects

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Staff reports

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. —

An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron crashed upon landing around 9:30 p.m. May 19 here.

The pilot successfully ejected and was transported to the 96th Medical Group Hospital for evaluation and monitoring.

The pilot is in stable condition. At the time of the accident, the pilot was participating in a routine night training sortie.

First responders from the 96th Test Wing are on the scene and the site is secured.

The accident is under investigation. There was no loss of life or damage to civilian property. The name of the pilot is not being released this time.

It’s the second recent crash at Eglin AFB, following the May 15 crash of  an F-22 assigned to the 43rd Fighter Squadron, and part of the 325th Fighter Wing. The location of that accident was 12 miles northeast of Eglin main base on the test and training range. That pilot also ejected safely from the aircraft and was been transported to the 96th Medical Group hospital on Eglin for evaluation and observation. The name of the pilot was not released, but he was reported to be in stable condition after the incident.