Event in United States of America on Thu 2nd April 2026

A military pilot is miraculously alive after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet just before it crashed north of Las Vegas on Tuesday. The unidentified pilot is from Nellis Air Force Base, according to a base spokesperson who confirmed to Military.com that the pilot survived the crash with minor injuries.

"Last that we know he was on his way to the hospital to get checked out," the spokesperson from Nellis AFB told Military.com. "The crash is still under investigation. As we receive more we'll send it out." Residential and other populated areas were not affected, they added.

The incident happened about 25 miles northeast of Indian Springs, Nevada, within a controlled airspace and over the restricted federal property of the Nevada Test & Training Range. Emergency responders were on scene, according to images shown by local television news outlets.

In recent years, there have been questions raised about the reliability and safety of the U.S. military fleet of F-35 fighter jets. In a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Defense's director of operational test and evaluation, F-35's were available for operations only 51% of the time—compared to a goal of 65%. The report, available online and reviewed by Military.com, concluded "the operational suitability of the F-35 fleet remains below service expectations and requirements."

It is unclear what led to the crash as of Tuesday afternoon. This story will be updated with additional information as presented.