An Air Force pilot was injured after ejecting from an F-35B jet, which crash in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday, officials said.
The plane, which costs a cool $135 million, smashed into the ground just south of Albuquerque International Sunport around 1:50 p.m. after refueling at Kirtland Air Force Base, according to KOB4.
The pilot, the only person on board, ejected safely and was taken to the University of New Mexico hospital in stable condition, according to the city’s fire department and military officials.
The jet had been flying from a Lockheed Martin facility at the Naval Air Reserve Station in Fort Worth, Texas to Edwards Air Force Base in California when it crashed.
Photos from the crash site show the scorched wreckage of the plane burning in a field by the side of a road.
Kirtland Air Force Base is leading the investigation into the crash.
A base spokesperson told The Post that more information would be released as it becomes available.
It’s the second military plane crash in New Mexico in as many months. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon — which cost about $63 million each — went down in a remote area near the Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state.
The pilot suffered minor injuries after he also ejected from the plane.
Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, Kirtland Air Force Base is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. It’s also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory.
With Post wires
