A US Navy fighter jet crashed in a field near Naval Air Station Lemoore in California on Thursday evening, causing concern but no fatalities. Videos on social media quickly went viral, showing thick smoke rising from the crash site.
Fighter Jet Identified as F-35
Initially, Russian Television speculated that the aircraft could be an F-35. Later, CNN confirmed this through a Navy press release, which stated that the crashed plane was a US Navy F-35 fighter jet.
Emergency teams rushed to the crash scene right after the incident was reported.
Emergency crews are responding to a U.S. military F-35C jet crash near Naval Air Station Lemoore in Fresno County, California, on July 30, 2025.
— Dr Vincent Sativa 🇺🇸 (@The_Weed_Shop) July 31, 2025
The jet burst into flames after the pilot safely ejected and was airlifted to a hospital for evaluation.
Cal Fire and Naval… pic.twitter.com/2EpDZvdhZz
Pilot Survives by Ejecting
The crash took place at around 6.30 pm local time. According to CNN, the pilot ejected safely and survived the incident. The Navy has not yet released more details about the pilot’s condition.
Officials have started an investigation to determine what caused the crash.
Aircraft Linked to Training Squadron
The Navy confirmed that the fighter jet belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron VF-125, also known as the “Rough Raiders.” This unit serves as a Fleet Replacement Squadron, which means it is responsible for training pilots and aircrew.
Naval Air Station Lemoore is located roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Fresno, in central California.
Another Fatal Crash Reported on July 28
This incident follows another recent crash that occurred on July 28, when a twin-engine Beech 95-B55 Baron aircraft went down off Point Pinos, a coastal area.
The plane had taken off from San Carlos Airport at 10.11 pm and vanished from radar around 10.37 pm near Monterey, according to data from FlightAware.com.
Search crews in a boat found one person around 3 am. Later that morning, divers discovered two more people inside the aircraft between 6.30 am and 9.15 am. Sadly, all three individuals were unresponsive, the US Coast Guard confirmed.