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On Thursday, a pilot was seen on camera footage ejecting from a plane as it crash-landed at a military installation in Texas.
Local police informed WFAA that emergency teams went to the site at the Forth Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base near White Settlement around 10:15 a.m.
The pilot was verified to have ejected from the aircraft by the police. His condition is still unclear.
The crash footage acquired by the news organisation shows the Lockheed Martin F-35B aircraft hovering as it descends slowly for a runway landing.
The film reveals that as soon as the jet’s front wheels hit the ground, the aircraft seems to lose control and the nose crashes into the earth.
WHOA! Kitt Wilder shared this video of an F-35B crash that happened near White Settlement earlier today. (Graphic language warning) STORY: https://t.co/1HmtzRQQ1x pic.twitter.com/dXfTtdLQQJ
— WFAA (@wfaa) December 15, 2022
According to the footage, the aircraft rotates clockwise and then returns clockwise before there is a bright flash and the pilot is launched into the sky.
The pilot’s seat continues to fly in a different direction while he deploys his parachute and floats to the ground.
The police, fire department, and other authorities came to the site.
“We are aware of the F-35B crash on the shared runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth and understand that the pilot ejected successfully. Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol,” Lockheed Martin told WFAA.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the cause of the pilot’s accident during landing.
According to a Government Accountability Office estimate, the cost of flying a single F-35B for the Marine Corps was $9.1 million in 2020, as reported by Defense News.
»Moment a pilot ejects himself from a jet before it crashed landed at a Texas military base«