Military aircraft crashes south of Albuquerque airport; pilot seriously injured

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Air Force pilot was seriously injured on Tuesday after ejecting from a fighter jet that crashed into a hill south of the Albuquerque International Sunport.

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According to Kirtland Air Force Base spokesperson Eva Blaylock, the pilot was the only person on board the F-35B aircraft, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Blaylock added that the pilot was not stationed at the base.

The jet was traveling from Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base in California, according to KOB-TV. The aircraft crashed at about 2 p.m. MDT.

A Defense Contract Management Agency pilot was flying the aircraft, which was being transferred from a Lockheed Martin factory, ABC News reported.

Firefighters said the pilot ejected himself from the plane before it caught fire, KOAT-TV reported.

Blaylock told the Journal that the pilot had flown in to refuel. A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said the jet crashed after refueling at the base, according to ABC News.

“The pilot safely ejected,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement to the news outlet. “Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol.”

Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesperson Lt. Jason Fejer told KRQE-TV that two civilians on the ground were assessed for injuries.

“One was a patient refusal, and one was a non-patient for some of the debris that came across the road and that they were struck by,” Fejer told the television station.

An investigation is ongoing.

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