Fighter jet worth millions crashes during vertical landing, video goes viral

A fighter plane worth $100 million (Rs825 crore) malfunctioned which forced the pilot to eject from the plane. The video went viral as soon as it was posted on the social media platform Twitter.

The F-35B Lightning II Stealth Fighter was seeking a vertical land trademark in Fort Worth, Texas when things took a turn for the worse.

In the clip shared on a public platform by CBS, the aircraft is shown descending gradually before bouncing on the landing strip. Later, its nose leans forward and its back wheels lift.

The pilot is seen jumping out of the fighter plane as it starts to spin. In the smoke, his parachute can be seen dangling.

According to the US news agency CBS, the pilot landed without injuries. The Pentagon stated that the jet was still owned by its manufacturing company, Lockheed Martin, and had not yet been delivered to the US military.

According to Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder, the aircraft was being piloted by a “US Government pilot” at the time of the crash.

A statement has also been issued by White Settlement Police Department about the incident on a social media platform Facebook, said, “Thankful that we received word that the pilot will be okay. Your WSPD team responded to an emergency call for assistance to secure and patrol perimeter fencing along the runway around 10:15 a.m. this morning.”

The manufacturer and owner of the plane Lockheed Martin responded with a statement, “the incident is going to be investigated.”

The statement also said: “We are aware of the F-35B crash on the shared runway at Naval Air Station JRB FW and understand that the pilot ejected successfully. Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol.”

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fighter aircraft designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings that can operate from aircraft carriers with ramps.

It is single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multi-role combat aircraft that can provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.