Pilot ejects safely as F-35 jet crashes near naval air station in California

A pilot safely ejected before a fighter jet crashed near a naval air station in California’s Fresno County, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Naval Air Station Lemoore, located about 37 miles south of the city of Fresno, confirmed that an F-35 jet went down around 6:30 p.m. in a field near West Cadillac and South Dickinson avenues.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. No other personnel were affected, NAS Lemoore said.

The crash also sparked a small grass fire that burned nearly a dozen acres, Cal Fire reported.

NAS Lemoore said the F-35 was attached to the VFA-125 when it went down. The VFA-125, also known as “Rough Raiders,” is a Navy squadron that trains pilots to fly F-35s.