Latest news with #Lemoore
The Independent
31-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Stealth fighter jet pilot forced to eject as $100M aircraft crashes in rural California
A U.S. Navy stealth fighter jet was forced to eject from a $100 million F-35C Lightning II jet moments before it slammed into a California cotton field, say officials. Plumes of black smoke were seen blowing across a field at around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, after Fresno County officials said they received a report of a military jet 'engulfed in flames.' Deputies, firefighters, and California Highway Patrol officers located the wreckage 40 miles out from the city of Fresno and just north of Lemoore Naval Air Station. The pilot was found with a parachute in a nearby field after he was forced to eject from the aircraft. He is attached to the squadron known as the VFA-125 'Rough Raiders,' Fresno officials said. He was airlifted to a local hospital by helicopter and is expected to recover. 'At night, firefighters used a bulldozer to cut a path to the jet so fire engines could get close enough to extinguish the fire,' FCSO said. Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes owns the field where the jet crashed. Mendes told ABC News, his son alerted him to the crash, 'I got a call from one of my sons at about 6:50 – that 'hey, I think there's a plane crash in our field, I'm gonna go out there and see.' 'I was in my pajamas, so I put my clothes back on and came this way," Mendes added. The F-35C is one of three variants of the F-35 Lightning II, designed for use on U.S. aircraft carriers. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the craft is deemed 'the most lethal, survivable, and connected fighter aircraft for America and its allies.' The jet is priced at around $100 million and was the second F-35 to crash this year, according to reports from CNN. In January, an Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska during a training mission. The pilot also ejected safely in that incident. A military investigation is now underway to try to determine the cause of the crash. The pilot successfully ejected and is safe. There are no additional affected personnel,' a statement to Reuters from NAS Lemoore read. The Independent contacted the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin for comment. The U.S. Air Force has 246 F-35s in its fleet, while the Marine Corps has 122 and the Navy has 41, according to the World Air Forces database on Internationally, there are over 17 countries involved in the F-35 program, according to Lockheed Martin. Recently, the jet has faced scrutiny regarding maintenance and readiness issues. In a January 2025 report from the Defense Department's Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, variants of the multimillion-dollar jet failed to meet requirements for reliability, maintainability, and availability. 'The operational suitability of the F-35 fleet continues to fall short of Service expectations,' the report said. In May, a U.S. Navy jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was lost to the Red Sea after the pilot and weapons systems officer were forced to eject when the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet 's tail hook failed to catch the stopping wire and suffered an arrestment failure as it attempted to land on the carrier. Both pilots survived the incident but suffered minor injuries.
Washington Post
31-07-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Pilot safe after F-35C crashes near a central California Naval installation
LEMOORE, Calif. — A pilot was safe after an F-35C fighter jet crashed near a central California naval installation on Wednesday, officials said. Authorities received a report that a military jet had crashed and was engulfed in flames around 6:40 p.m., the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post. Responding deputies, firefighters, California Highway Patrol officers and EMS personnel found the wreckage in a cotton field just north of Lemoore Naval Air Station. The pilot, who had ejected, was found with a parachute in a nearby field, the sheriff's office said. He was flown to a hospital for evaluation and was expected to be OK.
Associated Press
31-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Pilot safe after F-35C crashes near a central California Naval installation
LEMOORE, Calif. (AP) — A pilot was safe after an F-35C fighter jet crashed near a central California naval installation on Wednesday, officials said. Authorities received a report that a military jet had crashed and was engulfed in flames around 6:40 p.m., the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post. Responding deputies, firefighters, California Highway Patrol officers and EMS personnel found the wreckage in a cotton field just north of Lemoore Naval Air Station. The pilot, who had ejected, was found with a parachute in a nearby field, the sheriff's office said. He was flown to a hospital for evaluation and was expected to be OK. Firefighters used a bulldozer to cut a path to the jet so fire engines could get close enough to extinguish the fire, the sheriff's office said. Naval Air Station Lemoore confirmed that the F-35C attached to the VFA-125 Rough Raiders went down near the installation. The pilot was safe after successfully ejecting and no other personnel were affected, the installation said in a statement posted on social media.
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LFA 213 video: Loai Abushaar's vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
The brutal knockouts have come hot and heavy in 2025, and on Saturday at LFA 213, Loai Abushaar landed one that will need at least some shine at year's end. Less than a minute into the opening round of his lightweight bout at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif., Abushaar (5-1) timed the absolute perfect stepping right knee that landed clean to the chin of Edmund Kwan (4-1), instantly putting him out cold with a hard fall to the canvas. It all happened in a mere 51 seconds, with Abushaar handing Kwan his first career loss in a highlight-reel manner. Check out the replay of the nasty knockout below (via X): With the victory, Abushaar kept his 100 percent career stoppage rate in tact and made his back-to-back victories since his lone career blemish in August 2023. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: LFA 213 video: Vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LFA 213 video: Loai Abushaar's vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
The brutal knockouts have come hot and heavy in 2025, and on Saturday at LFA 213, Loai Abushaar landed one that will need at least some shine at year's end. Less than a minute into the opening round of his lightweight bout at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif., Abushaar (5-1) timed the absolute perfect stepping right knee that landed clean to the chin of Edmund Kwan (4-1), instantly putting him out cold with a hard fall to the canvas. It all happened in a mere 51 seconds, with Abushaar handing Kwan his first career loss in a highlight-reel manner. Check out the replay of the nasty knockout below (via X): With the victory, Abushaar kept his 100 percent career stoppage rate in tact and made his back-to-back victories since his lone career blemish in August 2023. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: LFA 213 video: Vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
