A pilot safely ejected from an F-35B jet before it crashed Friday morning at the U.S. Marine Corps\u2019 Air Station Miramar in San Diego, according to military officials.<\/p>\n
Military crews responded to what the Marine Corps called \u201can aircraft mishap\u201d around 10 a.m., according to a statement from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson Maj. Larry Boyd. <\/p>\n
The pilot, who was the only person on the jet, was taken to a medical facility with what Boyd described as non-life-threatening injuries. The pilot was considered in stable condition. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t immediately clear what caused the crash.<\/p>\n
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department also responded to the scene to support the suppression of some brush that caught fire \u201cnext to the plane crash area,\u201d said department spokesperson Candace Hadley. <\/p>\n
But Boyd said only smoke was confirmed at the scene, which was \u201cquickly controlled by on-site firefighters.\u201d <\/p>\n
Though a column of black smoke rose over the Miramar air station early Friday, according to images captured on Alert California cameras<\/a>, any fire or smoke appeared to dissipate quickly. <\/p>\n Video captured<\/a> from the base Friday afternoon showed only a charred aircraft. <\/p>\n Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is the home of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, the largest of the marine\u2019s air wings, according to the unit\u2019s website. That unit provides \u201ccombat ready, expeditionary aviation forces,\u201d according to its website<\/a>. <\/p>\n The F-35B jet, also known as F-35B Lightning II, is a fighter jet that can land vertically like a helicopter, allowing it to operate in limited conditions, according to a website about the aircraft<\/a>. Along with the U.S. Marine Corps, the model is operated by the United Kingdom and the Italian Air Force, the website said<\/a>.<\/p>\n The F-35B costs, on average, $109 million to produce, according to the website. <\/p>\n