“Glad the pilot is safe” — Internet reacts after F-35 jet crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska

An F-35 Lightning II aircraft occurred at Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Authorities said in a press release that the crash happened at 12:49 pm at the base. The pilot is safe and was “transported to Bassett Army Hospital for further evaluation.” After the incident, Colonel Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said in a statement, according to New York Post:

“Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed in ensuring their safety and security. I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.”

A video of the F-35 crash also made it to the internet. The clip features the jet spiraling in the sky before its ultimate crash. At the same time, the pilot is also seen in the video parachuting to safety, having seemingly ejected on time. The distressing clip also got many to react on X. A user wrote:

“So glad the pilot is safe.”

Read on to learn how others reacted to the F-35 crash at Eielson Air Force Base.

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Some display concerns for the pilot after an F-35 jet crashed, while others point out the financial loss

Many saw the somewhat anxiety-inducing clip of the jet crash on X. It got plenty of reactions, from display of empathy to blame game. A section of users showcased their concerns about the pilot.

“Glad to hear he’s okay,” a user said.

“Glad to hear the pilot ejected safely! Hope they're okay,” another user displayed their relief.

“Thank heavens the pilot was able to eject,” someone wrote.

“Thank God he survived. Amazing,” another one added.

Others were concerned about the financial loss to the country. A user posted:

“There went some big money. Saw his/her parachute. Would be interesting to know if it was machine or pilot error.”

Another user added:

“A lot of money went up in flames.”

A user said,

“Ouch. That was an expensive plane.”

Some even engaged in political blame game for the F-35 crash.

“If this was last year Trump would be blaming Biden for this jet crash,” a user observed.

“8 days in office and F-35s are falling out of the sky. Despicable,” another user blamed Trump.

At the same time, some were left shocked watching the F-35 jet crash. A user noted:

“So eerie seeing a plane straight fall like that. Glad everyone is ok.”

Another one added:

“Trigger. I watched a 16 go down that I helped launch. That is a bad feeling.”

Fortunately, no fatalities were reported after the horrifying crash. Apart from that, Colonel Paul Townsend told the press during a briefing that the pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction.” However, the Air Force has yet to provide more updates of the incident to the press.

The F-35 jet has faced crashes in multiple instances during the last few years. In May 2024, a fighter aircraft crashed soon after it took off from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. In September 2023, another crash happened near North Charleston, South Carolina, where it took almost 30 hours to locate the wreckage.

Similarly, four separate crashes, including a South Korean Air Force jet, were reported in 2022. Two crashes happened in the US, one around the South China Sea and one in South Korea. The crashes have seemingly been more frequent in the 2020s when compared to earlier incidents.