A pilot was seriously injured when a military aircraft crashed Tuesday afternoon near New Mexico's Albuquerque International Sunport, authorities said.
The plane was a developmental model of the F-35 fighter jet, which was being delivered by Lockheed Martin, two Defense Department officials told CBS News. It had just taken off from Albuquerque and was en route to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, the officials said.
Lt. Jason Fejer, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, said in a social media video that multiple agencies responded to the crash a little before 2 p.m. local time.
The plane went down near the airfield on the southside of the Sunport, the airport reported on social media. The pilot and sole occupant of the plane was conscious and taken to a nearby hospital, the airport said. According to Fejer, the pilot was able to exit the plane and was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Two civilians were also assessed at the scene, but did not require transport to a hospital, Fejer added.
It was not immediately clear if the pilot was a service member or a civilian.
Aerial footage from KOB-TV showed local firefighters dousing the wreckage. Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze, Fejer said.
"Grateful for the rapid action of the first responders who arrived to the scene. Praying for the pilot," Albuquerque's Mayor Tim Keller said on social media.
— David Martin contributed reporting.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
