By Roxana Navarro
May 28, 2024, 10:36 PM EDT
A military fighter jet en route to an Air Force base in California crashed Tuesday afternoon near Albuquerque International Airport, New Mexico. Officials said the pilot was ejected from the aircraft and was taken to a hospital to be treated for his serious injuries.
The accident occurred around 2:00 in the afternoon on a slope south of the airport. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin confirmed that an F-35B crashed after a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base.
The pilot was apparently ejected from the plane before it crashed and landed some distance from the wreckage.
Two civilians were injured
“The pilot was transported, classified red, meaning he had some serious injuries and required an immediate need for transportation,” Lt. Jason Fejer, public information officer for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, told KRQE.
“There were two other civilians who were also evaluated at the scene, one of them injured by the debris that was found in his path,” Fejer added.
On May 28 at 13:54 AFR, BCFR & Kirtland AFB responded to University south of Rio Bravo for a plane crash. BCFR and AFR’s Batt 1 confirmed a downed aircraft on fire. The pilot was located & transported while fire was extinguished. Scene has been turned over to Kirtland. pic.twitter.com/P0aaMvuod0
— Albuquerque Fire (@abqfire) May 29, 2024
Officials said the plane was traveling from Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base in California.
For its part, Kirtland Air Force Base was leading the investigation into the accident.
People should avoid the area
“The Albuquerque Fire Department has asked the public to avoid the area as the cleanup and investigation into the accident will continue. AFR, BCFR and Kirtland AFB responded to the accident,” the fire chief noted on social media.
The authorities notified that traffic on University Blvd is blocked south of Río Bravo and everything seems to indicate that this will continue until Wednesday, May 29. Anyone driving to Mesa del Sol should take Bobby Fister Rd, they shared.
For its part, Sunport commented that flights were resumed, but all people should check with their airline about the status of the flight.
This is the second military aircraft crash in New Mexico in the last month. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state, leaving the pilot with minor injuries after being ejected from the plane.
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