Pilot ejects from F-35 fighter jet moments before it crashes and bursts into flames
The crash occurred during the landing phase following an 'inflight malfunction', Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing told a news conference, with the Air Force confirming the incident had caused 'significant damage' to the £66m aircraft.
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Daily Mirror
03-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Pilot and son, 13, killed in Majorca plane crash while 'performing stunts'
Stunned tourists watched the small aircraft, which appeared to be performing stunts, suddenly plummet into the sea - before rescue teams raced to the scene to recover the bodies An ex-military fighter pilot and his 13-year-old son have tragically died in a plane crash while performing stunts for tourists in Majorca. Holidaymakers were left stunned as they watched the small aircraft suddenly plummet into the sea before rescue teams raced to the scene to recover the bodies. The jet was first seen flying low at around 8.20pm on Saturday night at the resort village of Soller in the north-west of Majorca with no signs of struggle. When it crashed near Soller's port - surrounded by cliffs, houses and hotels - witnesses gasped in horror. Members of the Fire Station of the Port of Sóller, Maritime Rescue and the GEAS of the Civil Guard were immediately activated to carry out search and rescue work. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Majorca said at 2pm local time: 'Around 1pm Civil Guard diving specialists from the elite GEAS unit mobilised as part of the emergency response involving our force, coastguards, the Navy and Air Force, recovered the bodies of the pilot and his son who was with him in the plane. The bodies have been taken to Soller Port.' It comes after a warning to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain. The 60-year-old and his son, believed to be 13, have not yet been officially named. The dead man has been described locally as an ex combat pilot with 'extensive experience' in flying F-18 and F-14 fighter jets operating from US Navy aircraft carriers. The Majorca Fire Department had previously said that everything indicated one or two people may have been on board. The Guardia Civil have meanwhile spoken to a number of witnesses. One of them, a local resident who was at sea with his family, said he had spotted the plane flying very low. It then passed roughly 15 to 20 metres above the group before crashing into the water and then sinking. The plane is said to have been found at a depth of around 30 metres.
Reuters
31-07-2025
- Reuters
F-35 fighter jet crashes in California, pilot ejects safely
July 30 (Reuters) - An F-35 fighter jet crashed near Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California, the U.S. Navy said on Wednesday. "The pilot successfully ejected and is safe. There are no additional affected personnel," a statement from NAS Lemoore said. No further details on the crash were provided. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the statement said. U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab, the maker of F-35 fighter jets did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
Reuters
22-07-2025
- Reuters
What is the Chinese-made F-7 jet that crashed into Bangladesh school?
July 22 (Reuters) - A Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet on a routine training mission crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday after what the military said was a mechanical failure. At least 31 people were killed, most of them children. Here's what we know about the F-7 BGI jet that went down: The F-7 BGI, which crashed soon after take-off, is a lightweight fighter jet, the final and most advanced version of China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 family, according to Jane's Information Group. The Chengdu J-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet era MiG-21 and is used for training and limited combat roles. The F-7 is the export variant of J-7. The South Asian country's air force has operated F-7 variants since the 1980s. Dhaka signed a contract for 16 BGI version aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013 - the final batch of the manufactured jets. China manufactured the jets from 1965 to 2013, making it one of the longest-running fighter production lines there. Due to its affordability, the jet was widely exported, especially to developing nations. The J-7 was fully decommissioned from the Chinese military by the end of 2023 but several countries still use the export variant. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran and North Korea are among the countries that have used or still use variants of the F-7. Pakistan is the largest operator of F-7 aircraft and has 66 of them, according to the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. Pakistan also has one of China's most advanced warplanes, the J-10, and used it to launch air-to-air missiles to bring down at least two Indian fighter jets during the recent conflict between the two countries. May 2025 - An Air Force of Zimbabwe pilot died when a F-7 crashed during a routine sortie in the Southern African nation. June 2022 - A J-7 crashed into residential buildings in the Chinese city of Xiangyang in central Hubei Province, killing at least one person on the ground. May 2022 - Two Iranian pilots died after their F-7 crashed during a training mission near Anarak, 200 km (125 miles) east of the city of Isfahan. January 2022 - Two Pakistani Air Force pilots were killed when a FT-7 aircraft, a variant of the F-7, crashed. There have been a number of other incidents with F-7 jets in Pakistan that resulted in deaths of pilots.
